Comfort Conditioning
by Baird Crevan
Summary: Megatron takes the Decepticons down into a submarine, but also uses the small space to tame his wayward Air Commander.  Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave centered.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So this is a plot bunny running lazily around my head, but it's been persistent so I kept her around. Basically, take my favorite movie genre (the _oddly_ specific submarine thriller epic) and throw in the the fanon of transformers and you will see what got me to this point. It's mostly G1, but you might see elements of any incarnation thrown in there. I ascribe to no boundaries. Also, the science isn't perfect, but I did do some research in order to make it passable/plausible.

It will be cute, sad, cuddly, and maybe a little happy. If I feel like it. So enjoy it for what it is: a little light piece meant to entertain.

**WARNING**: Slashy, but covertly so.

Please read and review! I'll respond to any and all reviews :)

* * *

The three seekers shot into the air, twisting into their jet-alts. It was a Sunday, and these days always seemed to be bright, blue, yawn and stretch type of days that seemed perfect for a flight. Starscream took point, and the three climbed in altitude when they suddenly broke formation and spiraled off.

Fancy acrobatics were only worth it if there were others watching. And it just so happened that three quarters of the Decepticon army were impatiently waiting for the flashy seekers to _get on with it_. Seekers were extremely high-maintenance creatures, but their primping and odd needs were only part of their quirks that the Decepticons tolerated. The worst part was their fear of closed spaces.

Ramjet, Thrust and Dirge shot into the air, mimicking the Command Trine's start and made much stronger turns that demonstrated their stability rather than their elegance. Skywarp and Thundercracker flew circles around them, second only to their leader, trinemate, and Air Commander, Starscream.

The red and white seeker relished in this flight because he knew it would be the last for quite a while. The Decepticons were trying to make contact with a subaquatic race of creatures on the satellite or moon named Europa, orbiting Jupiter. By forging an alliance with the new aliens, the Decepticons hoped to finally dominate Earth and kick the Autobots back out of the solar system so they could begin to pillage and plunder as they were wont to do.

But herein lies the problem: Subaquatic meant they were far below the thick ice sheet that covered the moon, and in the water that was kept liquid by the intense pull of the giant planet that it circled. The pressure was so dense below the surface that they feared even their plating would succumb to crushing. So they had to go in a huge spaceship-turned-submarine to meet the creatures.

Enter major conflict with the seekers: being below deck in a small enclosed space for days.

So the seekers were stretching out their wings, getting ready for the journey. One could say that Megatron must be mad for even attempting to bring the seekers down with him. But he would argue back: Would _you_ leave Starscream alone for that long?

Hook was waiting below deck with a loaded syringe to put them all into forced-recharge, hopefully keeping them sedated for the entire trip. When they reached their destination, a huge air pocket where the civilization bloomed, the seekers would wake and be ready for orders. So before their forced sleep, the seekers twirled, danced, and spun in the air, actually looking like they enjoyed the other's company if only for this single flight.

"Bunch of femme-fairies," Rumble grumbled. Frenzy snickered, lacing his servos behind his helm.

"I think it would suck to have such _obvious_ weak-points displayed on my back. I mean, we all know how sensitive those things are..."

An optic-waggle. "Heh, yeah. That one time Hook repaired Dirge? I thought he was going to overload just because the medic was realigning his wing-flaps."

Their hilarious laughter was cut short when Starscream flew particularly close to them, his after-burners singing the tops of their helms.

"Fragger!" The both cried, ducking quickly and earning the sniggering of the rest of the army.

"Starscream! I tire of this _display_. Prepare your troops for the dive."

"_Yes_, oh loud one. Come'on mechs, transformation-land in canon."

One after the other, the seekers transformed in midair as they landed softly on the ground near the submarine. They cascaded into a line, ending with the red and white seeker making sure to flourish at the end. No one acted impressed, though many secretly were. And it always bothered them that Starscream seemed to _know_ they were witholding praise, but acted as if they had told him he was slagging _Primus _incarnate.

The seekers loaded, Starscream taking one last moment above to fully take in the scene of Earth before they left for Europa.

Already he felt his wings itch.

* * *

Megatron barked orders and his men were jumping to comply. Within a cycle, they took off and entered space to make the trip to Europa. Without fail, the Autobots had built a similar craft and were in pursuit.

Megatron had a twisted grin. At least they would have something to _do_ on this trip.

"Incoming message from Autobot ship," toned Soundwave.

"Surprise, surprise. Patch them through."

"Megatron! Turn back immediately or we will be forced to fire." Prime's faceplate filled the screen, and every one's attention was fixated on the Autobot leader.

"Come now, Prime, I thought you wanted me to leave Earth. This is me recognizing that request." A flash of denta, and smile that would curdle energon.

Prime narrowed his optics. "We both know that is not what you are doing. Are you trying to make contact with the Europa natives?"

Megatron shrugged. "Guess you'll find out. Motormaster, full speed ahead. Astrotrain, let us give a little gift to Optimus before we leave."

"Yes, _sir_." A back panel in the back of their ship opened. A spread of high-impact cluster bombs covered the area between the ships. Prime cut off the transmission as Hound steered their ship away from their path, trying to avoid the bombs.

And in that instant, the Decepticons raced off to Europa.

* * *

"Alright, seekers, settle down," Hook called to the rapidly talking fliers. He was already seeing the affect of their claustrophobia sinking in as their wings twitched and they talked in higher octaves. They were nervous, and Primus help them all if they didn't calm them.

Starscream turned to Hook, folding his arms across his chassis. The others, sensing the change, did the same even if they didn't _like_ to act as if they took orders from the red seeker. Hook looked surprised to get their attention so quickly.

"Er... We're going to begin to put you under. We'll start with the lower ranking jets and move upward through the ranks. Remember to relax and we'll wake you once we've entered the underwater city."

Starscream turned to his trine as Hook and a few other Constructicons started to sedate the seekers. "I fragging _hate _this."

"We'll be asleep so we won't even know we're that deep below the surface," came a soothing Thundercracker.

"Slag, I agree with 'Screamer. What if it doesn't work? What if we wake up in the middle? What if the submarine wasn't built strong enough to withstand the pressure-"

"_Skywarp,_" Starscream growled, as the black and purple seeker tried to calm his trembling wings.

"Sorry. I just... Ugh. Why couldn't we just stay on Earth?"

TC gave a significant look to Skywarp, then tossed his helm in Starscream's direction. The red seeker groused and put his hands on his hips. "It's not like I would do anything that obvious."

"Oh, okay. Not _elegant_ enough for you?" Skywarp sniggered.

"Shut the slag up before I use your glossa to clean the space barnacles off of the hull."

"Command Trine, we're ready for you."

The three seekers looked around, noticing that they were the last ones awake. The room was eerily quiet now, and all three seekers shivered a little in a combination of fear and discomfort. Hook shook his head, sighing. The terrors of the skies, reduced to trembling sparklings.

They hooked up an IV to the three of them, and connected them to a machine that would monitor their internal functions while they slept. No one was going to be on duty watching them, so they needed to be connected to the system in case something went wrong. First Skywarp drifted out of the bond, then TC, and finally Starscream felt himself falling asleep, his annoyance and discomfort melting away with his consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

"Decepticons, brace for impact!" Megatron bellowed. His red optics blazed with anticipation for the destruction they were about to wreak on the helpless moon of Jupiter. They had traveled for a few days when they finally reached the pale orange, striated surface of Europa. Now all they had to do was break the icy surface. It was far too smooth; it offended Decepticon sentiments.

They had quickly shed the parts of the ship that were meant for interplanetary space travel, and now they fell through the sky like a dart trying to hit the moon in an aggressive thrust.

The impact radiated throughout the hull, and many in the command center fell out of their seats since they were so far forward in the long ship. A few others were silently glad that there were no windows for them to see out; most of them didn't want to see the ice splintering and breaking because it was not such a stretch of the imagination that their own ship could be doing the same.

"Soundwave, report!"

"Statement: Sensors indicate that hull plating still at maximum strength. Forward bulkheads holding; minimal damage to sail and diving planes. Depth at twenty feet and falling."

"And the Autobots?"

"Reply: Gaining momentum to break the ice."

"Increase engines to 40%."

"Increase engines to 40%, aye sir," said Motormaster, who decided to echo the tyrant's orders since that was apparently protocol on a submarine.

Their descent was rough in the beginning, and the grating noise of ice on metal stung their audios. Megatron stopped barking orders, knowing that half of them had turned their adios off, and even he began to clench his jaw as they waited to break the ice layer, which was apparently 11 miles down.

"Observation: The Autobots have broken the ice and are in pursuit."

"Excellent. Continue on course and comm me when we are about to hit the water." Megatron left the command center, turning his frame sideways to avoid touching one of his men in the cramped space. He headed to his own private quarters which were not far down a narrow and low corridor.

They were ahead of schedule; knowing that it would take them days to get to Europa and then days once inside the planet's watery interior, they had allotted for weeks of fuel and energon. And a little more to hopefully trade with.

Megatron entered his quarters, and after taking two steps in, he hit his berth. It was well-insulated from the sound, but he could still hear it as a dull groan in the background. The room was lit with only two lights, both glowing a dim yellow as most of the energy was routed to the engine. He had ordered that his berth be the biggest thing in his room, preferring to stretch out when he wasn't deciding the fate of the Cybertronian race. The gunformer pulled out a polishing cloth and methodically cleared off some of the grime on himself not going for anything too elaborate, just a clean, shiny surface.

Usually when he was bored he would find himself faced with some kind of attempt of Starscream's to oust him as the leader of the Decepticons. So he was rarely bored. But now he found himself somewhat missing the idiotic Air Commanders desperate attempts for attention.

The problem with Starscream was there was only one thing he wanted. _Power_. The mech made no secret of his lust for glory and his coveting of Megatron's throne was already mythologized in historian's accounts of the war thus far. And while entertaining, and a distraction from his boredom, Starscream's plans to ascend could only be hindering the Decepticon cause, even if he didn't see it that way.

But therein lies the problem: when dealing with such obviously greedy mechs, you offered what you could to placate them and keep them under your thumb. And even then, you don't plop everything they want all at once, you give it to them over the time you want dominion over them. As one rather inspirational human said, "Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better."

But Starscream only desired one thing, and Megatron could not give it to him without giving it up himself. So with nothing to offer the deceitful SIC, there was no controlling his overtures to mutiny. And despite his threats, he found it such a waste of potential to just get rid of the raspy seeker. He needed a plan, but as of yet, one had not surfaced.

Soundwave commed him through his musings, telling him they were approaching the water. Megatron rose, still thinking about how to tame his rebellious Starscream.

* * *

They dove through the water, and huge pieces of ice that had formed on the hull broke off with loud clanks that bounced off the length of the submarine. The sensors in the command center read it as a black abyss that they swam through; the only thing that popped up on their sonar was their lagging enemies.

Then there was a loud bang that was not from the ice. The whole sub shook.

"Soundwave, what the slag is going on?"

"Observation: It appears we have hit some debris-" came the monotonous reply.

Megatron burst from his chair, going to the sonar display. "Debris?"

"Y-yes sir," came the reply from a suddenly nervous Breakdown. He was at navigation, having chosen it because it seemed like an easy job (they were just going _down_, right?), but now he wished to be anywhere else but at that station. "I'm trying to-"

Another loud bang, this time they could hear the scraping of metal from the top of the hull.

"We get banged up much more, we're going to lose ballast and never get out of here," said Motormaster, glaring at his Stunticon subordinate.

"Isn't the debris showing up on the sonar?" Megatron snapped, also glaring at Breakdown.

"Uh, yessir-"

"So, AVOID IT."

A whimper. "I-I'm trying but I just can't complete the equations fast enough-"

"Soundwave?"

"His processor capacity is not enough." Another clank.

"Surely yours is."

"I cannot monitor all functions and navigate as well, sir."

Megatron huffed his vents angrily. He was surrounded by idiots. Another bang, followed by an audio-splitting screech as the metal buckled under the weight of some debris.

He needed someone who had the processor ability to maneuver and fast speeds and recalculate based on insufficient data. Of course, only one name came to mind.

"Rumble, go wake Starscream."

* * *

"Mornin' sunshine," Rumble said as he tore the IV's out of Starscream's arm. The seeker winced and unshuttered his optics.

"And you're still the lowly errand boy. Maybe next time you upgrade you should consider an alarm-clock-alt."

Rumble wrinkled his faceplate. "And here I come to _gently_ wake you up-"

"Gently?" Starscream scoffed. "You call that-"Starscream had begun, when he stopped. His optics grew wide and he looked very carefully at the room he was _still_ in and noticed his internal chronometer was not nearly high enough for them to have reached their destination.

"We're still underwater," Starscream said as he swallowed. There was a loud bang, and Starscream fell out of his berth, right onto to Rumble, tangling with the Cassetticon on the floor.

"We need you to navigate." Rumble slowly extricated himself from the quiet seeker. "You alright, 'Screamer?" he said with a nervous laugh.

Starscream's optics were trained on the low ceiling. Even though he was sitting on the floor, he still felt the room's small space bearing down on him.

Rumble leaned down and put his faceplate in Starscream's field of vision. "_Hey_. Megatron is waiting."

Starscream said nothing as he rose. He jumped nervously at another bang that was far too close to their position in the ship. The metal groaned around them as the sub continued to descend, but Starscream was more worried about the loud scrapes and clangs he was hearing. Rumble considered taking some video of this scared-out-of-his-processor Starscream, but the seeker looked completely petrified that it was making even Rumble a tad nervous.

"So you've finally made it," Megatron said, slight relief under his harsh cut. "Maneuver us around this slag."

Breakdown got out of the way as Starscream growled irratibly. "Megatron, of _all_ the mechs to ask-"

"You're a seeker. You do these kinds of complex equations in your sleep."

"Not under the stress of 20 miles of ice and water above my helm!" He stifled a shiver and began to rapidly punch in codes to the navigation.

"Right full rudder, 20°."

"Right full rudder, 20°, aye."

"All ahead full. Turn on my mark, 60 seconds." Starscream then clicked a button that started a timer.

59

58

57

56

"According to the sensors, we'll clear this detritus material in less than an hour. I expect to be put back asleep at that time," the seeker said angrily.

Megatron said nothing.

48

47

46

45

44

"Megatron? Did your thick helm block out my voice-"

"I heard you Starscream. I agree with you that your proposal makes sense." Starscream glared knowing that the gunformer was manipulating his words on purpose.

33

32

31

30

29

The seeker turned back to the console, quickly drawing a path through the material that appeared on the screen. He scowled. "Decrease speed to 20% power." There was no way they would be able to take the next turn without slowing down.

"Decrease speed to 20%, aye-"

"Belay that," Megatron bellowed. "Maintain current speed."

Starscream grabbed hold of the console as he swayed a little on his pedes. He looked both scared out of his mind and as if he was going to rip Megatron's optics out. "_Why_ aren't we slowing down?"

Megatron smiled. "We are being pursued by the Autobots so we can't afford any cowardice." Starscream sighed and shivered.

Soundwave turned his helm sharply to the seeker. Apparently, the red and white seeker could not control his usually cloaked mind, and Soundwave suddenly got a wealth of stray thoughts from the ailing SIC.

9

8

7

6

"Turn on my mark," Starscream said, his wings tensing."

3

2

1

"Mark. Left full rudder 60°, next turn in 10, 9, 8..."

As Starscream counted down, Megatron noticed that his TIC's keen interest in the seeker. He whispered to the telepath, "How is he doing?"

"Observation: Claustrophobia setting in. Panic imminent."

Megatron nodded. "Let's experiment, shall we?" The gunformer swore he saw the TIC cock his optic ridge, but that would be an emotional response.

"Increase speed to 30 knots and 75% power."

Starscream snapped his helm to look at Megatron, who only raised an inviting optic ridge in response. He waited patiently for a scathing comment, as did everyone else on the bridge, but none came. There was a loud groan of metal from the bulkheads settling under the pressure, and Starscream could not stifle his trembling.

"Recalculating run," Starscream ground out. "Next turn in 3, 2, 1. Mark, full right rudder."

The whole ship banked to the left as the right rudder of the sub tilted its maximum distance. A few mechs not seated flew to the left of the ship as they narrowly avoided a huge piece of whatever was making up this debris they were gliding through.

"This is like flying with a dead limb," Starscream observed, sitting down at a seat at the navigation console. He had hoped to not be there so long, so he had stood the whole time, but now his nerves threatened to take his pedes out from under him.

Finally, after many more turns, they reached the end of the run, clear of all debris. Soundwave announced to the crew that they could recommence active duties as they would arrive at the native's city in a little over three days. The crew cheered, and even Megatron cracked a smile. It had been touch and go there for awhile, and they had sustained some damage from Breakdown's control and were in desperate need of repair. Still, they pushed forward.

Starscream had visibly sagged when they reached the open water. With nothing to occupy his mind, he mental stability deteriorated quickly, and he began to shake uncontrollably. He quietly stood and backed against the wall so that he could see as much of the room as possible. The seeker tried to convince himself that the room was much bigger than it was, but the small space caused far too much heat to stay trapped in the cabin, and there was no denying that the room was more than stuffy. He winced every time his wings glanced off the wall behind him from the eddies of the currents, but otherwise he remained quiet.

Megatron watched him, fascinated. Apparently this was all it took to cow his wayward seeker. Too bad he couldn't stay this way: the Starscream he saw before him was docile, submissive, and scared out of his processor. This deserved a closer look.

Breakdown bumped into Starscream as he went back to navigation. He mumbled a half-hearted apology, but Starscream just went off the deep end.

He screeched and tacked the Stunticon. He was cycling his intakes heavily, "hyperventilating" in the truest sense of the word, and his optics were crazed and wide. The mechs around them were so surprised by the attack they froze. Some laughed nervously, but when the seeker jumped off of him and went of the ladder, they realized this was serious.

"Detain him!" Megatron yelled, coming Hook. The Constructicon scrambled from below deck, pulling out a syringe from subspace.

"I HAVE TO GET OUT!" Starscream cried as he tore at the mechs trying to apprehend him. Their proximity and crowding only made him panic even more.

"Starscream: there is no logic behind exiting that way. There is only water-"

The seeker didn't miss a beat. "I don't slagging _care_ about logic, you blue baffoon! Let me OUT!" He threw himself at the ladder and tried to scramble up.

"He's gonna depressurize the whole ship!" yelled a snarling Motormaster. He and the other mechs around him quickly grabbed the seeker's pedes as Starscream had made it up three rungs. In his lapse of processor quality, the red and white seeker had forgotten that the mech-hole was a small, enclosed, dark tube that led up and out the sail at the top. He froze in terror, giving the necessary pause for the mechs to tear him from the ladder.

Hook appeared suddenly, and with no overture, stabbed the needle into the seeker's neck. "Fragging Primus. Who woke him up?"

"Fact: we needed his processing skills to navigate the debris."

Starscream slowly relaxed, but didn't go into recharge. His helm lolled and Hook tried to "comfort" him by patting him on the back. "Uhm... Come'on Screamer, go back to sleep..." Obviously, the mech had no idea what he was doing. He did know that only recharge or a slagging trine bond could get his processor defragged after all of this stress.

"Slag, I don't have enough sedative to put him out. Can we get him on a berth while I go get more?"

Megatron rolled his optics. "More trouble than their worth," he mumbled to no one in particular. He pointed to his quarters since they were the closest.

They dragged the sluggish seeker into Megatron's private room and poured him unceremoniously onto the larger berth. The seeker made incomprehensible threats at any one and every one, but his attempts at thrashing had become random, slow flails. Rumble patted him on the helm. "He's almost tame like this," he said, laughing.

Megatron's optics blazed for a moment. "Alright, back to your stations." They emptied out, laughing at the miserable state of the seeker.

He commed the medic, saying, "I'll deal with Starscream. Your services are not required."

Hook blanched as he slowly returned the sedative to a drawer below deck. He could only imagine what Megatron was planning to do with the incapacitated seeker. "Sir, that is inadvisable." He chose that statement wisely, hoping that _all_ possible interactions with Starscream were covered. "Seekers are unstable naturally, and this far below the surface he might make some... unfortunate choices." Starscream already had it out for the tyrant, and Hook thought he'd better be safe than sorry by warning him if Megatron got between the Starscream and the door.

"Noted." He cut the comm, and looked at the weak seeker trying to get up and off the berth.

"I-I'm fine nowwwww," he slurred, trying to wave off the warlord, but obviously still under the effect of the sedative.

"Nonsense, Starscream. You took care of me in my illness with cosmic rust, I see this as me returning the favor." He approached the berth.

The drugged seeker whirred his vents in alarm. "No, no Megatron, service... is it's own... reward." He slumped into a hunched, seated position on the berth. His fans were over-taxed and even his energy field was unabashedly radiated stress.

Megatron leered over his second. It was not often that Starscream fell into such a compromising position. "Well then, let me comfort you out of the goodness of my spark." The gunformer climbed into the berth but didn't touch the seeker. Starscream stared at him warily through his haze of fear and exhaustion.

Megatron just smiled, taking out a datapad from subspace.

He made no move, which scared the seeker even more than if he had started to attack him. He ignored Starscream almost completely. The seeker fought to remain upright and to remain conscious, but was quickly failing at both. He gasped as his spark continued to throb in his chassis, feeling as if it were going to burst out of its chamber. He couldn't calm it, which made him panic even more. It was a cycle that just continued to escalate.

He turned toward the door and whimpered, seeing its closed state like a nail in his coffin. "Megatron..." he pleaded.

"Yes, my obedient Air Commander."

Starscream turned around on the berth to face him, swaying a little. "Please, _please_ let me go back to sleep with my trinemates. I'm begging you."

Megatron simply grinned and went back to his datapad. "We might need you to navigate through more debris."

The red seeker slowly put his helm down on the berth, taking on a bowing position. "P-please, Lord..."

"Starscream, I've made my decision." He lightly placed a servo on his second's helm. Starscream tensed under the contact, which eventually led him to shiver. "Just _relax_."

"You don't understand," Starscream said, tilting his helm so he could make optic-contact with the gunformer. "I can't just... _relax._"

Megatron put the datapad down, leaning over. "Then explain it to me. I'm a Decepticon gunformer, so I'm used to small spaces. I can't even fathom why it upsets you seekers so. It's just so... irrational."

Starscream gasped when he heard the groan of the ship as it descended even farther down in Europa's hidden ocean. "It's not irrational. The most sensitive piece of seeker anatomy is our wings. They are instruments used to detect air currents and change in barometric pressure in the air. Seekers are used to sorting through tons of information, not just from their wings, but from their optics, their audios, _everything_. We are used to a lot of space in the air, giving our processors plenty of space to breathe." The seeker huffed his vents before continuing.

"There are about 50 miles or 264,000 ft of water above us, so take that multiplied by 0.43 psi per foot for Sea water which is about 113,520 psi of pressure exerted on us right now." Megatron smiled as Starscream prattled off these numbers: truly the scientist to the last.

"And all of that weight is crushing down on us. And every time I hear the groan of the hull, I fell the same thing echoing through my wings." He shuttered his optics shifting his weight so he was now laying down on the berth, his faceplates against the smooth cool metal.

"So you fear the pain of your wings being crushed?" He said, trailing his servo to lightly inspect said instruments of flying.

Starscream hissed, twitching his wings away from the touch. "It's not just that," he said quietly. "If my wings are crushed, there goes my keys to the sky. Without the sky, I cannot function at optimal speeds, and my processor will lag over time."

Megatron returned his servo to Starscream's helm, absentmindedly petting it. "Is this fear then a defense mechanism?"

"Perhaps... but it doesn't matter. The only way to stave it is by recharge."

Megatron stopped petting the helm. "So why can't you recharge here?"

Starscream shifted uncomfortably. "Megatron, please just let me go-"

"I see no reason for you to leave. Silence, little seeker, and try to calm yourself."

Starscream whimpered again, this time feeling a sob catch in the back of his throat. This was just too slagging much: he was in a small, _tiny_ space with the mech that he hated the most and trusted the least. Meanwhile his trine and fellow seekers got to sleep blissfully beneath him on the lower decks. He clenched his servos into fists. He was too exhausted to do anything with the sedative still working and his constant trembling had worn him out.

He felt cleaning fluid well in his optics, but he shuttered his optics in shame to avoid it. That was the last thing he needed to give to Megatron: the satisfaction of his tears. But his wings itched horribly and his processor gave him a huge helmache.

Megatron resumed petting his helm, and after a few minutes of silent crying, Starscream found that he was being soothed by the touch of his Commander. It was constant and surprisingly gentle, and he suddenly found himself falling into recharge. He dared not fight it despite his lack of trust of the Decepticon leader beside him, as this could be his only chance to escape the small space for blessed unconscious bliss.

So he fell into recharge, and Megatron smiled wickedly, pleased at his Air Commander's current state. He settled in next to the seeker, taking time to fully admire his stunning young second as he never was this close to observe him without trying to kill him. Eventually, he too fell into a light recharge, smiling that he might actually get his wish of an obedient Starscream yet.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Alright friends, this is the last chappie you'll get before regular updates on Mondays. So mark your calendars, I promise not to be late. As always, own nothing. And much thanks to Starfire201 who indeed found a flaw that I fixed. Enjoy!

**WARNING_:_** Gets a little more than covert slashyness.

* * *

Starscream slowly unshuttered his optics, dimly taking in his surroundings. That was when he noticed he was hugging something.

"So the sleeping prince awakens." The reverberations from the voice traveled down into Starscream's arms, and he noticed he was wrapped around the waist of the mech who spoke. Starscream was still horizontal on the bed, but the other was sitting upright, apparently looking at a datapad while the seeker was draped across him like some kind of blanket. He pulled back enough to get a full view.

"_Primus_," he whispered in shock. He quickly tried to unlace himself, but Megatron had grabbed his arms to hold them in place. Starscream scowled, glaring up at the gunformer.

"Imagine my surprise to wake to find you in this position... and of your own volition." He slowly released Starscream's arms, and Starscream didn't pull back but huffed his vents in a sigh.

"Your surprise and obvious enjoyment." He looked around the room quickly, seeing if there was anything he could use as a weapon, but he saw nothing. That was when he saw how small the room was.

_Oh slag_.

His optics froze, staring at the ceiling. A rush of panic, fear, and absolute horror rushed through his processor, clouding any type of annoyance he had just had with his leader.

He instinctively tightened his grip on the tyrant, who tensed a little at the sensation. Upon realizing what he was doing, Starscream again attempted to pull back, extremely conflicted for need of comforting, but wanting it from anything, _anything_ other than Megatron.

This time the tyrant wrapped an arm around him, keeping him secure in his place. "You feel the claustrophobia setting back in," he observed. Starscream threw all of his distrust away for the moment as he buried his faceplate into the tyrant's waist.

"I-I... can barely form a coherent thought."

"Mm, well there was one. See? You're not as bad off as you think."

"Megatron, _please_. Even if we did find more debris, there would be _no way_ I could maneuver around it in this state."

"Oh, but you sell yourself short. I'm sure you could do it, if in fact we need you."

Starscream groaned.

"Does being in such... close contact actually help?" He asked, still curious.

Starscream turned his helm. "A... uh little. Your... plating is cool to the touch...and..."

"It mimics the feel of cooler wind on you."

Starscream chose not to answer in a mixture of embarrassment and stupefied terror. His wings drooped a little, indicating he was becoming resigned to needing the tyrant to help comfort him. He hated this since he refused to rely on _anyone_, even his trinemates. Yet here he was like some frightened sparkling, shivering in his Commander's arms.

This was humiliating.

"I wonder if you would be placated by any mech offering you comfort..."

Starscream groaned again. "Oh Primus, Megatron, please don't experiment." His voice had little of his typical acid and it was instead colored by his fear and growing exhaustion. Megatron stroked the side of his second's shoulder vent in assurance.

"Why do you keep doing that?" he hissed. The proximity to the tyrant was enough, but the _stroking_ only hinted that Megatron was enjoying this far too much.

"Does it not help?" he asked, grinning wildly. Starscream didn't answer, and Megatron replied, "Thought so."

The hull made a loud clicking groan, and Starscream whimpered into his Commander's plating. Megatron smirked, but then his optics dimmed from receiving a message. Soundwave explained that Prime was closing in and was madly trying to contact them. He sighed. His little conditioning session would have to wait.

He looked down to see Starscream staring at him with pathetic, red optics. "Megatron, _please_. This is torture."

"Should I leave you then?" Megatron chuckled when the seeker gripped him even harder. "No, but I will help you a little." His optics dimmed as he called for Soundwave.

Starscream stared at the door as it opened and the Communication's Officer strode into the room. When the door closed behind him, the tape deck seemed to go rigid once he saw the scene before him.

"This is _exactly_ what it looks like," Megatron said, smiling. Starscream grunted in annoyance as he pulled away from Megatron. It took a lot of strength for him to stop making contact with the plating that was within his reach, but he wanted at least some of his pride intact in front of the TIC.

Soudwave regarded the pair: the grinning gunformer and the scowling seeker both sitting on the berth. Starscream looked a little haggard and he could glean some of his stray thoughts, understanding what their Commander had been doing these past cycles.

"Did you bring the sedative?"

"Affirmative, Lord Megatron."

They both noticed as the seeker became a little more animated. He wasn't sure the sedative was completely a good thing, but it might be preceding his return to the stasis chamber where his trinemates slept. Gaining confidence by the thought, he added, "Finally tired of me, Megatron?"

"Ha, _hardly_," he replied. He nodded to the seeker, indicating to the telepath it was time. Starscream stiffened and backed against the wall, seeing the interaction between the two as nothing good. Soundwave pulled out a syringe from subspace and walked towards the shaking jet.

"Are you putting me back?" came the meek question, as he allowed himself to be grabbed by the tape deck. Soundwave roughly grasped the seeker's neck and tilted it so he had access to the main energon line that ran through there.

"We'll see..." came the reply, and Starscream slowly fell into recharge, leaning forward onto Soundwave's shoulder. Soundwave pulled back, getting off of the berth and looking to his Commander for his next set of orders.

"You are to stay with him while I go deal with Prime." He grabbed a polishing cloth and rubbed down his faceplate. When there was no "affirmative" reply, he glanced at the tape deck beside him.

He was looking at Starscream with what could be interpreted as disgust.

"You don't like him very much..." Megatron observed, giving his TIC a hard stare.

"Personal preference: irrelevant. I will obey."

"Excellent. All you have to do is sit there on the berth and he will do the rest."

A flash of the visor. Megatron had come to interpret that as a _what?_

"Part of the reason we've never had control over this one was that we had nothing to offer him. He wants power that he cannot have. But now he is rather... shall we say, compromised? He requires more. Slowly, I've noticed he is craving comfort. We are going to condition him to crave our touch and comfort so that we can threaten to withhold it if he doesn't behave."

Soundwave did not look amused. "Observation: conditioning will no longer work outside of submarine."

"On the contrary, I think it will. But first we need to see if your frame will have the same effect as mine does." He turned around and left his quarters, leaving a passed out Air Commander and a less than enthused Communication's officer to get "comfy."

* * *

As soon as Megatron exited the door, Soundwave huffed his vents. He was worth so much more to the warlord, but here he was, seeker-sitting.

And it had to be _that_ seeker. Soundwave was not a huge fan of the red and white mech who was the antithesis of himself: loud where he was quiet, octave-jumping where he was monotonous, back-stabbing where he was unwaveringly loyal- the list could go on. But Megatron had given him a direct order, and despite his disapproval, he was loath to disappoint.

He got into the berth, watching the recharging mech warily. He's heard stories of seekers being trapped in cave-ins, but when they were finally rescued they had killed and maimed the other mechs trapped with them before killing themselves. Surely Megatron knew what danger this seeker posed?

The tape deck leaned against the wall. It felt a little strange to be seated on Megatron's berth despite his express command to occupy it. Still, it felt like somewhat forbidden territory. He tried to relax but his thoughts kept drifting to the ticking time bomb asleep beside him. Doubtless his sleep would have been fitful had his recharge not been drug-induced; as it was, a rock wouldn't have been more still. And all Soundwave could think about was how this winged-mech _could not_ be worth it.

Almost as if sensing the thoughts about him, Starscream shifted in his sprawl. Even though he was still asleep, faceplate down on the berth, his right servo seemed to sense the close frame and explored the berth for it. When it made contact with Soundwave's leg, it sent a ripple down Starscream's frame, and the telepath could not decipher whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. The servo gently applied pressure in a grip. Then the seeker shifted so that his whole frame would be right up against the rigid tape deck.

Soundwave didn't like where this was going. He was about to pull away, but he knew what Megatron had wanted when he had given him the order, so he knew this was part of it. So he huffed his vents in annoyance, and folded his arms across his chassis. When the still-asleep-Starscream wrapped his arms around the surprised tape deck, his servos flew from his chest and he froze.

The seeker nuzzled his chest, and suddenly, the telepath decided he actually liked it.

Even in recharge, the seeker was still radiating stress and Soundwave found Starscream's thoughts to be centered around the small area of the room. But when Starscream had started to inch his way closer to the TIC, and then had finally made physical contact, his thoughts became warm, _affectionate_ even.

Soudwave had never realized the bristling Air Commander was capable of such beautiful thoughts.

He relaxed his arms as the sleeping seeker wound himself around Soundwave, laying on top of him and latching his arms around the telepath's neck. He rested his helm against Soundwave's upright chest and recharged quietly in the bigger mech's arms.

Soundwave thought in the back of his processor that this must be some programming form of comforting that seekers practiced. He'd never seen seeker's recharging near one another, but now he desperately wanted to check the security feeds back at the base. Were they always this... _sweet_ in sleep?

He doubted it. As far as he knew, Starscream slept alone and did not seem outwardly affectionate, even towards his trine. So this must be something deeper, more engrained.

He noticed Starscream's vents cycled slower, indicating he was in fact relaxing in his hold. It was amazing to be wanted, for sure, and he had always had access to possible lovers' minds so he knew that he held some effect on others.

But it was a whole different thing to be _needed_.

* * *

Starscream again woke up, slower this time in relation to the amount of sedative still overpowering him. His limbs felt heavy and he was still very sleepy, but he tried to rouse himself, knowing distantly he was not in a good position right now.

He did know he was comfortable, which was one thing. He felt soothed and safe, which he thought was odd because he was a Decepticon, doubtless near other Decepticons. Those previous things were not often given to one such as he. So slowly, his curious mind got the better of him and he leaned back to see the red visor watching him intently.

The seeker didn't react right away.

But then the tape deck heard one creeping through burn through the fog of Starscream's mind.

_Soundwave_.

The seeker in his arms tensed slowly as his wings tilted back in alarm. The telepath's hold slackened, indicating wordlessly that he would let the seeker go if he so wished. Starscream slid off of Soundwave, not speaking his alarm and embarrassment. The tape deck was disappointed but allowed the seeker to separate if he so chose.

"...Megatron put you up to this..."

"Affirmative: Megatron ordered me to sit on berth."

Starscream tried to rise into a seated position, but stopped about halfway upright as his helm was wracked with a splitting helmache. He hunched over, using his servo to cradle his throbbing helm. "Slag, why does my helm hurt so much?"

"Observation: Perhaps a reaction to high levels of sedative."

"Sedative?" Starscream repeated, throwing a distrustful look at the TIC. "Why was I sedated-" he started indignantly. But he stopped himself as his optics grew wide and he finally observed his surroundings.

"Observation: Sedative has amnesiac side-effects."

The wide-opticked mech trained his gaze on the low ceiling. Then he noted the close walls. Then he curled into a ball, wrapping his arms around his knees. He buried his faceplate in his knees, trying to hide from the small space

He felt the fear prickle his energy field, and it attacked his wings making them tremble. _This isn't slagging fair_, he thought again. He was fine a second ago but now he felt all of his systems _hurt. _It was if he was already being crushed to death, and he desperately tried to turn his mind away from it, but it just wasn't possible.

Soundwave watched the seeker in mute curiosity as he puzzled through his thoughts. Then the seeker winced even more as he realized the sub was deeper than it had been previously and that, of course, only made things worse.

Suddenly the seeker's head shot up and his optics locked with the telepaths. "Soundwave, I _order_ you to put me back with the other seekers." He looked so slagging hopeful, it seemed a shame to disappoint him.

"Negative, Megatron's orders outrank yours."

Starscream became very pleading, pulling out from his ball and putting his legs beneath him and his hands on the berth. "Soundwave. I'll do anything- _anything_ to be taken out of this room and to be put back into stasis." His voice had become softer with only a touch of the torrent of desperation lingering under the surface.

Soundwave would have graced the seeker with a smile at the tactic, if he didn't keep his facemask intact. "Query: Anything?"

Starscream nodded emphatically, leaning in to touch the TIC's arms encouragingly. "I'm sending all kinds of images your way..." he replied. He shifted and straddled the telepath carefully, begging with his optics to indulge him. He leaned down to stroke the tape deck's shoulder's seductively, giving a tight squeeze between his thighs for added emphasis.

Soundwave's intakes hitched at being assaulted in mind and on his frame, but his energy field betrayed that he was actually entertaining the idea. He roughly grabbed Starscream's servos and the seeker yelped a little. Still the seeker saw this as a positive sign and sent pleading invitations through his field to the tape deck.

"Answer: Your request has been denied."

Starscream's mouth gaped in rage as he flailed angrily in the tape deck's grip. He tried to stand to get better leverage, but Soundwave just would roll him off his pedes every time he got a pede-hold. "You smelted piece of slag, _let me go!_" He cried, pulling harshly on his servos to get free. Soundwave's visor just glinted, hinting that he was enjoying their little squabble. That enraged the captured seeker even more and he tried to swipe at Soundwave's faceplate.

But when the hull groaned loudly, it seemed as if Starscream's very will melted out of him. He froze in Soundwave's grip and looked to the low ceiling as if it were leaking water at that moment. There were various other noises from the sub that only indicating they were rapidly descending down into the black open water all around them.

The seeker lowered his helm, slowly, dejectedly. He was just so fragging _scared_. He couldn't do anything else but fear that something would go wrong and they would all be crushed to death. Even the thought of Soundwave and Megatron being crushed as well did not cheer him.

Soundwave watched the transformation of the seeker with thinly veiled curiosity. Starscream was defeated, and to Soundwave and other mechs that when they transformed folded in on themselves, using small spaces to defeat the mech didn't seem like much. But Soundwave was now intimately aware of Starscream's mind now that he had access to it, and he knew that the claustrophobia was no small thing to him, but a raging process of subroutines that flooded his systems. He couldn't turn off the abject terror that raced through his lines. The seeker had been defeated by his own programming.

Starscream began to cry. It was pathetic, and also very, very strange. Starscream never cried, but neither did most of the Decepticons. He was a loud-mouthed, arrogant son of a glitch who _whined_ enough for everyone, but _tears?_ From him? This was...

Marvelous.

And it was then that Soundwave understood why Megatron wanted to condition him and tame him to their touch. Then they could elicit these delicious tears anytime they wanted. He found it fascinating that beating him didn't do this... and Megatron had certainly tried... but get the seeker trapped awake in a descending submarine? Perfect.

He slowly pulled Starscream down to lay on him in a similar position to when the seeker had woken up. Starscream complied, cleaning fluid leaking out of his optics. Soundwave wrapped Starscream's arms around his neck and Starscream positioned his helm in the crook of the telepath's shoulder between his cannon and helm. There, the shivering seeker buried his wet faceplate in Soundwave's plating, squeezing the mech in a desperate embrace.

"Starscream:... your thoughts... are intoxicating."

The seeker sagged a little more, another part of his pride defeated. He _needed_ to touch this mech, and he couldn't wrap himself around him tight enough. It hurt his pride to know that both Soundwave and Megatron enjoyed his desperate need of contact so much, but there wasn't anything he could slagging do about it. He was trapped in their embrace because he needed it to feel sane.

"I slagging hate both of you," he sobbed.

Soundwave huffed his vents in a laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Happy Labor Day! I have work. : lol Sorry for the short update, but I need this chappie to sit alone. I have the next chapter almost ready, so I might post that too since it is Monday, and many of you waited a week. It's about to turn slashy, but I keep the "T" rating.

BTW: I totally saw Transformers 3 being shot in Chicago. I'll write what I saw on my profile.

Please review!

* * *

Megatron came in, pleased with what he saw. His second was quietly laying in the lap of his rather contented third. "Excellent work, Soundwave," he said, striding into the room.

"Reply: Thank you for sharing."

Starscream huffed his vents at the exchange. He was still indignant about the whole situation and he desperately thought of a way to possibly aid his escape. His mind was a little clearer and bolstered by the mech holding him, so he decided to try his luck. "And I thank you too, Megatron. He was so much better at comforting me than you," he said.

It achieved a little tensing on the warlord's part, but then he relaxed. "I can tell you are content. Your treacherous ways are resurfacing." He looked to Soundwave who still held his second in his arms. "What is the most insulated, isolated room on this ship?"

"Answer: The aft sonar room."

"Perfect. Starscream, we are going for a little trip."

"No, no, no- please wait! Oh Primus-" he said as his wings started to shiver uncontrollably. "Ah, slaggit... no... _please_-"

Megatron leaned down to Starscream's audios. "If you're a good little seeker, we'll come get you and comfort you. But this treacherous slag has got to stop."

"Megatron, _please_!" he cried as Soundwave lifted him off of the berth to take him to said room. "No! Oh Primus, please don't put me in there _alone_!"

A few mechs heard the cries of their begging Air Commander as the door to Megatron's quarters opened. They had pretty much forgotten that Starscream was still in there, and they all wondered idly what exactly had been going on. On second thought, they chose not to think about it. They had thought that Starscream had been taken down to rejoin the others by now. They all noticed that the pleading they heard was different somehow. More dire.

Soundwave and Megatron dragged him down the narrow corridor, but the seeker wasn't making it easy. He thrashed violently and cursed them as only he knew how. He begged, pleaded, cursed and spat, trying to use everything in his arsenal.

Primus. D'oh. He leveled his null-ray at Megatron but nothing happened.

"Uh-oh, Starscream. That earned you another hour."

Starscream's optics burst wide and he apologized profusely. "Please, Lord, I'll never... just... don't..." His vocalizer was hoarse and he coughed a little to try and clear it. Finally, they got him to the room and Soundwave opened it grabbing Starscream's kicking pedes.

They threw him into the room and locked the door. The gunformer and tape deck leaned against the door to catch their breath; it was a lot to try and get that seeker in there. They could distantly hear screaming and keening through the door, but Soundwave was right, it was well insulated. They heard scratching, gurgling, tearing, banging, but did nothing.

"How long do you think?"

"Answer: In ten minutes his mind will break."

"So what, do you think before or after?"

"Observation: Your desire is to tame, not drive insane." Megatron chuckled and nodded.

Suddenly the banging stopped. Megatron looked to his TIC with confusion, and Soundwave was quite taken aback as well. The seeker couldn't be over it by now, could he? Then Soundwave's visor flashed and he disengaged the lock to find the seeker sputtering on the floor. They both stared in shock as Starscream convulsed on his back.

"Observation: Seizure. Permission to end discipline early?"

Megatron nodded, concerned. He had wanted to just mess with the ball of wings, not kill him. This time. "He had a seizure from the room?"

Soundwave had bent down and consoled the seeker by wrapping his arms around he shaking mech. The seizure stopped almost immediately and he scrambled to get into Soundwave's arms. The tape deck complied, coddling the SIC like some kind of sparkling. Starscream created soft static and twitched a little in the embrace, but allowed himself to be picked up and carried out of the room.

"Inference: Seizure was from lack of defrag. Observation: threat of discipline should be enough from now on."

Megatron agreed. The seeker was leaning into Soundwave with none of his previous conflicted looks on his faceplate. Soundwave had insinuated that if they attempted this again, the seeker might not survive, and that was disconcerting to the tyrant.

Frag, he almost felt guilty now. And _that_ was a foreign emotion if he ever had one. The truth was that even after Starscream had told him why seeker's hated small spaces, Megatron still couldn't fathom it. Again, as a gunformer? He relished small spaces. He could tuck himself into _subspace_ for crying out loud. That was smaller than space. So surely this seeker was just overreacting to the small space? It was all in his head, right?

It was unspoken between the TIC and Commander that they had made a miscalculation. Soundwave had accurately read Starscream's mind and predicted his capacity for isolation, but he had failed to account of the amount of cached information that Starscream hadn't purged. Usually transformers defragged during recharge, so Soundwave had discounted it as he was witness to Starscream's sleep. But Starscream obviously was not defragging. It was as if a string had gotten caught in a fan and was slowly winding itself around the center, leading eventually to the fan stopping completely.

Starscream cuddled against the telepath on the berth, his optics very distant. Megatron also took a seat on the berth, looking to his second with searching optics. Had they gone too far already?

The seeker reached out a servo and grabbed Megatron's pulling it to his chassis for added comfort. Laced with static, he addressed his Commander, "I promise I'll do whatever...you want. Just please don't. Do. That. Again."

Megatron was very surprised by the genuine sincerity of Starscream. He splayed out his servo in a possessive gesture, deciding to answer, "Don't give me a reason to."

With that, he got up and walked out to the command center, ignoring the questioning looks of his curious subordinates.

* * *

They were finally close to the subaquatic empire they had been traveling to so quickly. But rather than contact them, they blocked all communication frequencies on the planet with a scrambler they had created before they left. They didn't want the charismatic Autobots being more convincing than they were that this mission was anything but diplomatic.

Megatron and Soundwave had taken turns holding the seeker, and both quietly looked forward to the comforting. Starscream had become much less vocal about his discomfort and had practically stopped begging all together. Megatron was extremely happy with what he interpreted as progress, but Soundwave wasn't nearly as convinced. The seeker had not behaved normally after his seizure, and he wondered if their experiment had crossed the line from conditioning to traumatizing.

But for Megatron, it was if he had gotten the gift he had always wanted. A mech, or even a _pet_ who waited for him anxiously, but could still interact with him on an intellectual level.

The tyrant lay on the berth on his front, pouring over some datapads of intelligence they had gleaned from communications before they had cut them planet-wide. Doubtless the empire would not be happy that the Decepticons had taken away their communications, but it could not be avoided. After thinking about it, he turned to his second with a question.

Said mech was right next to him, his right arm stretched over Megatron's back and his right leg was wound under the gunformer's left. His helm was face down on the berth, but his optics were open as he stared listlessly at the metal of the berth. Megatron had noticed the seeker often tried to avoid looking around the room, even if he was surrounded by cool and enveloping plating.

"Starscream, once we get to the empire, how long before the other seekers will be functioning?"

The seeker paused and turned in helm to the mech he was wrapped around. "They would need some time to defrag in whatever kind of sky they have. Probably ready in an hour or so," he replied quietly.

"And you? How long will you need?" Megatron asked looking back to his datapad.

Starscream was silent. He chose to interpret that sentence as rhetorical.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So, more sad, more cute, and some funny. And I'll be the first to admit I am heavily influenced by Greylilly's _Driving Forwards. _So I'm kinda a fan of Rumble x Starscream. But this just evolved that way, so I promise there will be some action between SS/M/SW action soon, but I'm keeping the "T" rating since I don't think the whole story should be "M" if I hadn't kept it that way the whole time.

Anyway, hope you like. **WARNING:** Slash, heavy kissing, just short of interfacing.

Rumble was bored. And being bored in a submarine with a bunch of crowded mechs meant that he had to be very careful about what he said or did, because it seemed that anything could set them off. There had already been four fights in the mess hall, that was hardly a hall but a closet, and the mechs were all radiating annoyance. In the mess hall they sat back to back at nearby tables, and in hallways only one mech could fit at a time. The Decepticons were used to their underwater base being much larger, and to be fair, it had taken them almost an Earth week to get this annoyed. But the worst part? They still had a return trip.

It wasn't the small space that bothered them, but the close proximity. Megatron had no idea how many natives they would find, so he had crammed most of the army into the ship, even the blasted seekers. As as a result, a mech could barely walk without running into another mech or the wall of the submarine. Mechs were not used to being right on top of each other, and Rumble felt that he was going to be on the receiving end of some pent up anger soon. Right now, he was stuck at one end of a hallway, waiting for his turn to walk through as mechs made their way to the mess. Apparently, his smaller size had meant that he was not entitled to a turn to fragging walk. In his frustration, Rumble commed Soundwave, asking if he could just go into his chassis already, since he was off duty and had nothing better to do than recharge.

But Soundwave did not answer his hail. Which meant that he was either asleep or not answering on purpose, or _couldn't_ answer. Slag. What if someone had stuffed him in a closet? Maybe they had gotten sick of him always reading their mind and seeing through their lies?

So now he was roaming around the length of the sub, looking in random closets for his Commander. With Starscream blessedly asleep, the TIC was Commanding Officer on the ship, meaning that any request, question, or complaint was filtered through the tape deck. Rumble had a whole list of complaints in case he did find Soundwave just sitting quietly somewhere, wondering why his cassette was so worried. Well, not so much wondering as _knowing_, but meh.

He checked the aft sonar room and noticed that it looked like a technorganic had been trapped in there. There was dents and bright paint transfers on the door and on the floor directly in front of him, but he didn't think much about it. In fact, he just turned around and left, satisfied that Soundwave was definitely _not_ in there. How mechs chose to pass the time down here was not his business as long as he didn't walk in on it.

As soon as he left the sonar room, he got a return hail from Soundwave telling him he was _fine_. _Query: Why so concerned? _Rumble frowned. He didn't feel like actually _saying_ he missed the tape deck, but it was true he had been gone for a long time. Usually the telepath spent his spare time with the cassettes but lately he had been occupying his time elsewhere.

Soundwave apparently didn't need the explanation. _Command: Come to Megatron's quarters._

Rumble froze. He felt extremely unsure, even of his own commander. He _wanted_ to see Soundwave but... Megatron's quarters? There were many things wrong with that command, and many of them began with "Megatron is dangerous."

Soundwave tried to assure him, and finally Rumble relented, willing to cast off his doubt for a little while. Besides, Soundwave was there. Whatever was in there couldn't be that bad.

Oh, was he wrong.

It wasn't so much he was surprised to see mechs cuddling; even in the Decepticon ranks there was some affection between lovers. Well, most of the time it was a quickie in some storage closet, but that wasn't what set off the cassette.

It was _who_ was cuddling was the problem.

His processor heated up as his faceplate twisted in the most confused and grossed-out look he could muster. "Your fragging the seeker?" he said in a high-pitched protest.

Soundwave replied, "Query: Is there a problem with that?"

Starscream huffed his vents and pushed Soundwave away, halfheartedly. What was it with mechs bragging about 'facing him?

Soundwave looked amused. He then cocked his helm as Rumble's optic began to twitch. "Answer: Cuddling is necessary for Starscream's claustrophobia." The seeker angrily folded his arms across his chassis, but then slowly leaned into the crook of Soundwave's hold. This was the most amount of animation Soundwave had seen from the seeker since his "discipline," and he found he was very pleased. Apparently, all it took was the disgusted face of a subordinate to make Starscream arrogant again.

Rumble held a servo up to his helm. "I... don't understand. Why don't you just put him back with the rest of the seekers?"

Soundwave was about to answer, but Starscream beat him to it. "You _do _realize whose quarters we are in, right?"

Rumble frowned. Well, that part made sense. In only a way that Megatron made sense. He took his servo away from his helm and cocked it on his hip. "Well, gosh, boss, if you wanted a pet, I could have gotten you a turborat or something. At least their squeaks are more pleasing to the ear."

Soundwave's visor glinted in amusement as Starscream glowered. "Watch it, _twerp_. I could still crush you to death with my sheer _height_."

Rumble scoffed. "Then I would just take you into a smaller room and see how _you_ deal-" He stopped as he noticed the warning look from his Commander. That look meant he went too far. He usually got it when he and Frenzy got into fights that had started off good-natured, but then descended into a verbal match that Rumble usually had the last, and worst, words in. He was about to mumble a not sincere apology when he noticed the change he had elicited in the seeker.

Starscream's faceplate was no longer glowering; in fact, he was quite blank. He had tensed and tried to relax but was obviously having a hard time of it. When his wings began to flutter, Soundwave leaned in to hold him with his other arm, and the fluttering only slowed. Starscream had shuttered his optics and looked like he was grimacing in pain.

Rumble didn't know what to make of the display. He was oddly disturbed to see the TIC embrace the SIC, but at the same time fascinated. Especially as a cassette, he had no concept of claustrophobia. But here he saw it giving a _physical_ reaction to the jet-alt.

"Why is he even _in_ here?" Starscream said through his clenched denta. He gave an angry glare at the cassette who was still watching avidly.

Soundwave pulled back as Starscream came out of the small fit. "Observation: Rumble was lonely."

"Uggh. Thanks, boss," Rumble muttered, looking down. Soundwave did not often understand why mechs liked to keep their feelings a secret; especially weak ones. The cassette waited for some kind of bullying from the seeker since he was obviously embarrassed, but none came. He looked up and saw Starscream looking distantly at him.

Huh. He looked very lonely too.

"So...uhm, this is where you have been?" Rumble asked, careful.

Soundwave gave and appraising look to his cassette. He always got that look when he didn't know how to read an emotion from another. Then he tilted his head knowingly. "Realization: I have been neglecting my cassettes. Observation: You are jealous."

Again, Rumble's faceplate heated up. He hadn't been thinking those thoughts exactly, but there was no point in arguing with the mech. Instead he just pursed his lips and crossed his arms angrily. Sometimes it wasn't fair to have a telepath as your caretaker.

Again he waited for a scathing remark, but the bristling seeker was far too distant. It was if he was mentally vacant. Starscream turned his head slowly to Soundwave. "You _could _put me to sleep below deck while you entertained them." His voice was defeated as he knew it was a lost cause. At this point, he seemed to be just going through the motions of begging, not actually feeling it anymore.

Soundwave ignored him. "Resolution: I will change duty schedules to make sure we are on the same rotation." There. Fixed.

Rumble nodded, idly thinking that that was not what he had meant, but he quickly covered that thought over with how the seeker looked really sick. His paint was was scraped and obviously not touched up. It was dull and had not been polished. But that didn't compare to the wan look on his faceplates. He just looked _wrong_.

Suddenly Megatron's voice came over the speaker to the room. "Soundwave, we have a rapidly approaching contact dead astern. I believe it is our Autobot brethren coming to ask us to pull over."

"Reply: I shall be there shortly." He began to get up. But Starscream tensed, grasping onto him even harder.

"I'm afraid we're both needed here, Soundwave," Megatron said, accurately assessing Starscream's reaction to the news.

Soundwave hummed to the seeker who was grasping onto him for dear life. Then he turned an gaze to Rumble. "Solution: Rumble will stay."

"_What?_" Rumble and Starscream said in unison. They both looked at each other in disgust, and Soundwave began to pry the seeker off of him while he was distracted.

"Command: Rumble sit on berth. I will return once threat is neutralized." Starscream lost his grip on his comforter and nearly fell off the berth trying to keep hold of him.

"_Wait_, please! Please don't leave," he said. "Or at least put me back with my trine! I'm too much trouble awake! _Please._"

Soundwave looked from the begging seeker to Rumble. "Command amended: Sit on berth and do not leave this room." And with that, the telepath left, locking the door from the outside.

Rumble was a second slow by the time he realized Soundwave was locking him in with the weird Starscream. "Wait! Boss, wait! He wants _you_ not _me_!" He kept pushing the override switch on the door, but he got nothing. He took to banging on the door with his fists knowing that _no_ _one_ in their right mind would try to help someone out of Megatron's private quarters. The cassette slumped his helm against the door, and then slowly turned around to see the seeker staring at him.

He was frozen with his servo outstretched to the door in one final plea to the receding back of the tape deck. But when he saw Rumble turn around, he slowly let his arm down and looked down on the berth. He was on all fours but then he slowly slumped into a seated position, seeming to crumple in on himself.

Rumble watched carefully as the seeker rocked back and forth with his arms around himself. Obviously, this was torture for him, but the cassette wasn't so sure he wanted to be quick to stop it. Starscream was one scary Pit-spawn, and he probably deserved just a little of what was happening to him. And he wasn't going to say that part of him didn't delight in the seeker's torture. Albeit a small part. But it was another part of this Decepticon, long since turned into a myth by Autobots and Decepticon alike that made him stiffly walk to the edge of the berth and sit down.

Starscream recoiled to the other end of the berth as if he had been hit.

Rumble was quite confused and then indignant. "What? What, am I not good enough for you?"

The seeker just glared at him through blazing optics as his intakes hitched. Apparently, he was going to force himself to choke on his own hyperventilation.

Rumble turned as if he were going to follow the seeker to the other side of the berth, but the seeker waved his arms. "Don't you dare touch me!" he cried angrily.

"What the slag." he growled. "I'm just trying to...help. Okay? I'm not going to hurt you."

Starscream grimaced again as pain shot through his frame. He shook like he was being mildly electrocuted, but it was completely an internal reaction. Starscream managed to get his optics back open and he gave Rumble a significant look. "Fine...just...don't-ah...move."

Rumble stiffened when he saw the seeker trying to crawl near him. Suddenly he wasn't so sure that he should have tried so hard to get him to relent. "Uhm, I won't?"

As the cassette continued to sit on the edge of the berth, Starscream came up behind him in a jerking fashion. It was like his processor was glitching as his motor cortex was being poked with a cattle prod. The seeker lay down, curling around the cassette like some kind of turbocat. Rumble felt the seeker behind him, the black helm to his left and the bright blue pedes to his right. It was a little weird that the seeker was right up against him like that, and it didn't help that his energy field was terribly prickly.

Starscream stopped glitching and lay against his back with obvious discontent. Rumble itched to ask what exactly was wrong with him, but he was distracted by the weird warmth the seeker was giving off. It radiated off the jet in waves, ebbing and flowing onto Rumble's armor. "Mmm," he said before he could help it.

Starscream's optics glanced at him. "Are you... comfortable?" He sounded resigned, bitter.

"You're just so _warm_. Are you sick or something?"

Starscream snorted. "I'm overheating from the lack of defrag."

Rumble stiffened, and Starscream came into contact with more of that cool, soothing plating. He shuttered his optics in the sensation.

"Why don't you just recharge then? Have they really kept you awake all of this time?" His voice lacked concern though deep down he felt a twinge of it, even if it was pure selfishness. If they could torture Starscream like this, it was only a matter of time before they devised methods for others in the army.

Starscream sighed. Grounders really were ignorant of seeker ways, and it was probably partly their fault for being so secretive. "Recharge staves it off, but we can't fully defrag except after being in the air. So even though I'm recharging, it's... not the same."

Rumble shifted a little, settling into his Starscream-shaped backrest. "Why don't you guys ever get like this on the base or on the Nemesis?" He had seen the seekers a little antsy before, but never like this.

"Because there we have an escape." He continued about how they could leave the crashed star cruiser that was their base in the ocean, and they could leave the Nemesis when it was in operation. But here? Not so. The pressure would crush them instantly like they were imploding down on their spark casing. All these thoughts raced through his processor and were sludgy from his lack of defrag, so they stuck around uncomfortably long.

"Why would you be designed so weak?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?" He sighed irritably.

"Sorry, but I'll get bored."

Starscream shuttered his optics, trying to ignore his rapidly growing annoyance. "What do you want to talk about?"

Sensing the seeker's mood, Rumble decided to be nice. "All right, just three more questions and then I'll let you recharge. Okay?"

"Is that one of the questions?" Starscream asked, smirking.

Rumble smiled back shifting in a short shove. "No," he said. He could almost laugh at the scene, because it was just so... surreal. Was Starscream being playful? Was he playing back?

"Well, ask then. And I get three of my own."

Rumble nodded. "Okay. What exactly is your relationship with your trio?"

"_Trine_," the seeker corrected. Then a small grin played on his mouth. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Well. Uhm." Rumble suddenly had lost his nerve. They had all heard brilliant stories of seekers interfacing, and it burned at all of them to know the truth. Did they really do each other? _All at once_?

"I guess I'm asking if you guys are just brothers... or..."

"Yes." It was a statement, not a question. Rumble became very confused.

"Yes to which? You are just friends?" Gulp. "Lovers?" he squeaked.

Starscream was grinning wildly now. "_Yes__._"

Rumble sighed in defeat. "Your turn."

"What exactly is your relationship with Soundwave?"

Rumble stopped for a moment. He knew what Starscream was asking as he had heard the whispers sweep behind him as he left a room. _Protected_ by the telepath. _Off-limits_. _Untouchable_. Owned. It was no surprise that he sought either one of his fellow cassettes or Soundwave when he was off-duty because no one else would go near him.

"He's like a creator. But a little more dangerous than that."

Starscream's smirk had diminished. Well, this was no fun if he was going to turn serious.

"I mean, we were all like orphans, you know? And Soundwave, third in command of the Decepticon army, approached Frenzy and me to ask if... or rather told us we would be some kind of spec ops team for him. I was already small, so being reformatted into a mini-cassette was not much of a problem. But we didn't realize that we would have no... self, aside from him."

Starscream kept his gaze trained on the berth in front of him. "Can I ask another question, or do you want one?"

Rumble folded his arms across his chassis, angry that he had blabbed so much. "Why are they doing this to you?"

Starscream tensed. "I don't _know_. They've avoided answering me when I ask and I feel like I'm losing something every time they come in here." He absentmindedly nuzzled Rumble's knee, trying to cool his faceplate. The cassette was suddenly very happy that Starscream, unlike the TIC, was not a telepath.

"If I knew what they wanted, I would slagging just give it to them. But that seems to be part of it. That I'm not supposed to know I'm losing."

Rumble could feel the hurt in the seeker's vocalizer, and he felt a little guilty for thinking this mech deserved what he was getting. "Did you do something really bad lately?"

"My turn," the seeker said, closing the door he had let Rumble peak through. "How many mechs do you think I've interfaced with?"

Rumble nearly jumped at the question. Starscream's optics were glinting with mischievous glee and he could tell the seeker was trying to lighten up the mood by making him hopelessly embarrassed.

"Uhh... Do I have to answer?"

"Unless you want to give me a way out on your questions."

Rumble frowned, since Starscream had already refused to answer his first question to his satisfaction. Still, he decided to press onward.

"All right. How about... as many as you wanted?"

Starscream suddenly laughed and then purred with approval. "_Clever_ little bot. There might be hope for you yet." Rumble positively beamed from the praise, silently patting himself on the back. He knew that Starscream was hard to impress, and he wondered sadly if this little interaction would help him out later. Probably not.

Feeling emboldened by the reply he said."All right. Megatron or Soundwave?"

"Neither. Or both. Depends on what you are talking about." Again, a devious grin. Primus, this mech was fast with his glossa. Starscream shifted a little so that Rumble wasn't against his hip, but laying against his chassis. It could mean that the seeker was just seeking comfort in a new position, or it could mean that he was finally growing comfortable with the cassette being there. Always ambiguous.

Starscream chuckled. "I decided I'm giving you my last question." He looked to the cassette expectantly.

Rumble felt a little honored and thought quickly about something he really wanted to know. One thing _had_ been bothering him."Why were you so hesitant before? I mean about... touching me. I know you... uh, needed it."

Starscream looked down, all of his mirth evaporating. He was thinking somewhat clearly for the first time since he was brought in here, and he realized that his initial reaction probably was rather hard on the smaller mech's self-esteem. "It wasn't _you _per se," he began. "It was more that you gave me a choice."

Rumble bit back a frown. Megatron he knew, but... Soundwave really _was_ scary sometimes.

"With them, I woke up and I was positioned that way. In their arms. And even though my mind said no... I really do need it. The contact. The presence. But I never had a conscious choice in the matter. With you... you gave me the opportunity to try and resist it. I'm glad I failed."

Rumble's spark surged at that, both wondering if it was meant to be so spark-warming and if the seeker was just a little crazy from the confined space.

"So, what's going to happen after we get there? He's gonna let you out, right?"

Starscream held up a digit and waved it back and forth. "Ah, ah, _ah_ cassette. That's the three questions."

"Fine if you want to be an aft about it, but I was just curious. No doubt you'll forget about me once you're out of here."

Starscream nestled closer. "You were forced into this like I was. I owe you neither gratitude nor revenge."

Rumble huffed his intakes, settling in to the warm seeker. "Fine. Well, I want to lie down because I'm tired. Move over."

The cassette nudged the seeker who complied. Rumbled put his helm at the top of the berth (this was Megatron's?) and almost squeaked when Starscream came up right behind him. The seeker wound around Rumble's waist and enveloped the smaller cassette by his uncomfortably warm plates. Rumble thought it was not an unpleasant sensation to be so held, but the circumstances were so strange and unique that it took most of the enjoyment out of it. The seeker just needed him. Used him.

Starscream felt his fans slow in relaxation. This was as close as he could get to feeling normal, and he no longer felt terribly embarrassed by his dependence. Plus, despite the prickly disposition of the cassette, at least he wasn't trying to dominate the seeker.

Wait. Wait, what? His optics shot wide and he tensed.

Rumble tried to lean back. "What's wrong?" he asked sleepily.

Starscream felt his fans whirring and the absolute relaxation he had achieved evaporated. Those slaggers. Those absolute, slagging skidplates, aftholes for mouths, sparkless cheating Pit spawn. They wanted to use this opportunity to make him dependent on them _permanently_. And so that must be why Megatron was so _delighting_ in his fall from grace; he saw it as a sign that Starscream was being... tamed. How foolish. How idiotic.

How humiliating.

"Starscream?" came the concerned voice of the mini-cassette. Ah, but the one comforter that didn't have an agenda.

Starscream decided that maybe he should reward the cassette.

The seeker relaxed and rubbed his noseplate against the back of Rumble's neck. "I'm fine, little one." He smiled when Rumble stiffened a little.

"Uhm, Starscream... if you just want to go to sleep, could you stop-"

"Oh, is that an invitation?" the seeker purred.

"Wh-what?" Rumble tried to get out of the grip, but Starscream held on tighter. "Seriously, Starscream, this isn't funny." Now he was the one who was desperately fighting back panic.

"'Seriously Starscream,'" the red and white seeker mocked, playfully. He rubbed his noseplate against the back of Rumble's audios letting his heated vents blow some air out teasingly. Again, Rumble attempted to flail. "I'm not trying to offend you, little one. Merely _reward_ you."

"I thought you said you weren't going to." Less panic, more wary. Starscream's version of reward might be a little skewed given his condition.

"Well, I changed my mind. I'm your superior officer, so I'm allowed to do so." His digits flexed on Rumble's chassis, quick and light enough that it was by accident, of course. "You've given me lots of information to think about. And I want to... give you something in return."

"That won't be necessary."

Starscream paused to pout. "Well, all right. Last chance- if you say stop I will, because I now feel that I owe you. But if you want me to continue..." he said, huskily.

Rumble was just about to ask him to stop, in fact his vocalizer was already given the command to speak, but he hesitated.

That was all the encouragement Starscream needed.

He poked his glossa out of his mouth, running it along the back of Rumble's neck. Just in case the cassette was still confused as to how nicely this could go, he squeezed the frame he had trapped beside him. He could feel the cassette's intakes hitching at the sensation, and he smirked. He loved to condescend because such mechs felt so _honored_ to have his attentions.

Rumble sucked in air through his intakes, shuttering his optics. This could not be real. It was some kind of elaborate... joke. At his expense. But... slag, there was that glossa again. And it was just a tryst, right? No real consequences.

"Mmm," Rumble said, followed by some unintelligible mumbling. He felt the frame behind him vibrate in a laugh.

"I'm sorry, little one, I didn't catch that..." The seeker's servo drifted down to Rumble's exposed thigh as his lip components found the cassette's inviting neck.

Rumble gave a little grunt, arching his neck to give the seeker more access. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little-ah! _Distracted_." Starscream hummed in approval, glad he was causing such an effect.

Starscream decided not to waste any more time. He leaned down on top of Rumble, securing his mouth plates over the cassette's. He was gentle at first, soft smacking sounds coming from their connecting lips. Rumble produced a light noise of approval, eagerly grabbing the seeker's helm to tilt him farther into their kiss.

The cassette's willingness to participate quickly receded his claustrophobia for the moment. But suddenly his aft was roughly grabbed from behind.

"Starscream: Remove yourself from Rumble," came the monotone. Both Starscream and Rumble's optics shot wide when they realized they had been joined. How _long_ had the slagger been there? Starscream leaned down to give Rumble one final kiss, knowing he was being watched, but Soundwave tore him away and pinned him against the wall.

"Starscream: bad decision. Rumble: leave immediately."

"Yessir," Rumble said, hastily extricating himself from the berth and headed for the door. He threw one last glance at Starscream who was pinned, but managed to give Rumble a wink. When the cassette left, he managed a smile, knowing he was going to get it later... but it was worth it.

Soundwave roughly turned Starscream around so that now his back and wings were against the wall, and the seeker was facing the tape deck. Starscream had a look of defiance on his faceplate, with a smug grin adding insult to injury. The seeker didn't say anything, but he didn't really have to.

Soundwave cocked his helm. Then he commed Megatron, putting the conversation on speaker so that Starscream could also hear him.

"Megatron: I caught Starscream attempting to escape through treachery. Query: May I discipline him?"

Starscream's optics blazed at the lie that had enough truths in it to not be considered devious. Perhaps there was something to be learned from this subtle liar.

"Of course, Soundwave. Just leave some for me." Megatron clicked off, and Starscream wondered if Megatron knew where this was going.

"I thought you two were busy with the Autobots, so I had to keep myself entertained..." Starscream said, shifting his wings a little against the wall. His arrogant confidence was back in full stride thanks to his fun, albeit interrupted, jaunt with the mini-cassette. Soundwave narrowed his optics.

"Statement: You should not have violated my cassette."

"_Violated_?" Starscream repeated, incredulous. "More like freed. Mech was being smothered by your inattention, Soundwave. I think you are just jealous that I took the initiative with him. Or, rather, I took the initiative with him rather than _with you._"

Soundwave was not amused. "Repeat: You should not have violated my cassette. There will be consequences." He roughly clubbed Starscream over the head with his fist.

Starscream fell to the ground with a cry that turned into a dark laugh. "_Emotionless_ was ever a wrong description, wasn't it? Perhaps I'm still so much trouble that you should just put me back to sleep." The seeker smiled malevolently at the telepath that loomed over him, knowing he was hitting a chord.

Soundwave raised his servo as if to strike the seeker and Starscream's optics glittered with laughter at the approaching beating since he knew he had regained some of what he had lost. He still had the innate ability to piss mechs off.

But instead of hitting him, Soundwave grabbed his helm and attached a small device to the side. It was small and black, and once it was attached, it locked on, obviously not going anywhere. Starscream just looked slightly amused and was about to make a snide comment when suddenly his vision went out.

"What the-" he started. His optics had gone completely out and there was no amount of manual override he could come up with to make them come back on. He clawed at his helm, knowing that the device was somehow responsible, but it refused to budge.

"Answer: This is your punishment. Statement: The room is getting smaller."

Starscream's servos froze at his helm. They slowly went down to his sides, but he wasn't shaking or anything. "No... it's not. You are lying."

Soundwave sat down on the berth, only a short distance from the seeker sprawled on the ground. "Statement: Pressure is making the bulkheads swell. The room has decreased in size," he replied in a monotone.

Starscream tilted his helm upwards, but saw nothing, obviously. A groan of the hull made him shiver, but he merely folded his arms across his chassis. "Yeah? Prove it."

"Reply: I don't have to prove it. Feel it yourself." He saw the seeker sigh and Starscream slowly get up, feeling around to make sure there weren't any obstacles in his way. He slowly raised his servos above his helm and began to feel the ceiling. The look on his faceplate was one of confusion and then shock.

Starscream's wings were the first sign that his lie had worked. They flared back and then he saw Starscream's entire frame tense in terror. Finally, the seeker became more and more scared, his mind slowly descending back into paranoia.

Nothing had in fact happened to the ceiling or anything else in the room. But Soundwave knew that the seeker had never measured it or felt it himself, so what he was seeing was the power of suggestion at work. Starscream was unsure if Soundwave was telling the truth, and without his optics, he could not be certain.

Soundwave became increasingly satisfied by the seeker's mind reverting back to its conditioned state. He had been willing to let Rumble interact with the seeker since Starscream had been so broken after the last discipline session, as the seeker had shown such improvement when Rumble had merely entered the room. He had not meant for it to give Starscream a complete confidence boost, making him defiant and treacherous again. It was almost as if the tryst with Rumble had undone everything he and Megatron had achieved since Starscream had begun his taming.

And Soundwave was not going to be the one to tell Megatron that his own cassette had helped.

Starscream had crumpled on the floor again, defeated. He began to feel the floor to find the berth that was near him _somewhere_. His faceplate was dejected and upset again as his digits hungrily searched for some plating that would give him some comfort. The seeker found Soundwave's leg and latched on, clinging mercilessly for the cooler plates. Starscream was quickly growing exhausted and he resorted to begging, pleading, promising, threatening, but all of it was lost on the telepath. Eventually his intakes started to hitch as he just begged for Soundwave's forgiveness, hoping that he would say something that would make the room stop shrinking.

Finally, Soundwave removed the device and Starscream clambered up into the berth, keeping his head down. The telepath leaned back, inviting the seeker into his arms, and without a moment's hesitation, he climbed into the embrace of the TIC. He didn't even bother to look at the ceiling, having known the whole time that it was fine but still not being able to calm himself.

They lay there in silence as Starscream's fans finally cooled and his intakes returned to normal. But as they both drifted into silent recharge, Starscream lingered on the fact that he knew what they were up to, and that was worth any amount of punishment they could design.

Because it wouldn't be long before he taught them not to mess with his claustrophobia.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So I decided that we needed some funny. Can't be all whimpering seeker, can we? Anyway, long update... Thanks for all the reviews, this was a totally random fun fic, and I'm glad you've all been enjoying it so... thoroughly. :)

Lol: WUT? PLOT? How does this have a plot? Well my friends, it just emerged. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

"Who areh you, and whut do you want?" said the squishy. The Decepticons had exited the sub and were slowly crawling out, regarding the smaller creatures with amusement. They did hold rather menacing beam rifles though. The Europans were apparently spindly organics, shaped like dark green humans with squid-like dredlocks. They were much larger than humans, but barely came up to most of the mech's waist in their full height. Their huge black eyes drifted over the much larger mechs with distrust, and they whispered in their slightly Japanese-litled English.

"We are the Decepticons come to warn you of an impending threat: The Autobots," Megatron said, smiling.

A frowning male came forward pointing his beam rifle as if it were a different appendage. "Bhut it is _you_ who jhammed ourh communications..."

Megatron could spot a pretentious second even in a new alien culture. "We feared they might lie to you and convince you of the 'truth' behind their words. They are very convincing, but make no mistake: they mean you harm."

The leader seemed to nod slowly. "Then in that case, we whelcome you to the Ostpusti Settlement on Europa. We hope your jhourney was whell?"

"Yes, actually. But I think we should discuss your strengths and weaknesses for when they get here and we might _aid_ you." He flashed a grin and his soldiers had a hard time stifling their snickering.

"And whut is it exhactly you are ghetting ouht of this?" the second said, suspiciously.

"I'm glad you asked. I have several seekers with me that need to fly in order to get their bearings. Might I allow them your skies?"

The leader paused, not sure exactly what a seeker was. "I suppose... by all mheans. I'm curious to see-" but he was cut off by a gunning engine taking off. Starscream had been kept below deck but apparently he had heard that he was allowed access to the sky, so he had shot past the mechs holding him down.

"_Ohhh_ whow. Is that ohne of them?"

"Yes, that is my Second in Command, Starscream." The gunformer had a tinge of pride at the Ostpusti's reaction, and he noticed that all of his soldiers too watched the seeker ascending into the dark black "sky" of the huge underwater bubble. It was so expansive that the seeker could fly for miles without having to turn for the curve of the bubble they were inside.

The seeker transformed and barrel rolled, nearly crying with the feel of the rushing air on his ailrons. _Primus_ it felt so good to be up there _above _them all. He felt his mind click back into place and he knew he would finally defrag once he could recharge again. If only he could recharge while still having the air swirling around him with this feeling of utter, unimpeded freedom.

He dove, he twisted, he rose, he banked, all now in rapid succession and seemingly random combinations as if he had never before been allowed to fly in all of his life.

"Lhook how jubilant he is! Marvelous, Megatron. See, Torin? Surely they tell the truth if they emplhoy ohne so beautiful."

"You are fans of beauty," Megatron observed.

"We are asthetes; delhighting in the beauty of lhife."

"Not warriors?" Megatron asked, throwing a look toward his visored TIC. Perhaps this trip wasn't worth it.

"There is beauty in whar as well, Megatron. Nhow, please step this whay, we will discuss ouhr defenses..." The gunformer stepped around the squishies at his feet as the leader of the Ostpusti led him into the heart of their empire. With open arms.

He turned his head, addressing the telepath. "Tell Hook he can start waking the other seekers, and remind them _only_ to stretch their wings," he said. Torin, the suspicious second, glared at the statement, walking ahead a little faster to reach their destination first. Megatron could think of many delightful ways to dispose of him once they decided to ransack the empire.

Starscream continued to fly without any modesty. He thought as he went through complex maneuvers that it felt so good to be out from beneath the suffocating walls of the sub, and he loathed to go near it any time soon. Even though he could still feel the huge amount of water above him and surrounding him in this huge bubble in the Europan sea, he could convince himself for a moment that he was in _real_ air, with _real_ space around him for miles.

After a while, he slowed his maneuvers and brought his scanners online. He slowly absorbed the landscape below him and thought, with a slight amount of surprise, that the culture and design of the floating empire was actually rather impressive. Inside a huge bubble sat cities with skyscrapers, towns and villages, and plenty of open, organic space with fields, meadows, and forests. His former occupation as a scientist and the associated subroutines were immediately curious as to how the bubble stayed suspended in the air, and how having a hole in the bubble allowed their sub to exit, but did not change the buoyancy of said suspension.

Still, all the beauty and curiosity aside, he found it lacking in what Megatron probably had hoped to find here. He flipped into bipedal mode, preening in the dark light coming off of the city as it underlit his faceplates. It was all rather _dark_; the "sky" always being black since it was just deep ocean so they had to rely on unnatural light. He inferenced that the creatures probably had good eyesight if they kept things so naturally dark. That was a strength.

But their attention to detail surely must be their downfall. Everything was immaculate; the streets were clean, manicured gardens and elaborate buildings that could only exist for existence itself. No practicality. Decadent, wasteful. Even the sky he now enjoyed was a waste for them: a huge amount of open space where nothing, not even a hovercraft dotted the sky with him. What was the point of having so much open air above their heads other than aesthetic charm? Not that he was complaining at this point, but in the big picture, these people were growing weaker in his mind by the klik.

He stopped thinking for a moment, delighted that he actually had the capacity to _think_. His thoughts lately had been in pure emotional responses, usually in shades of _fear/anger/shame/humiliation/want/_ that actually puzzling out a foreign race felt like feasting after a famine. His mind was clipping along more as it should, observing, scheming, deducing... He felt so _fragging good_.

The thought struck him that perhaps there was something they could get out of this little venture: energy. It must take an inordinate amount of power to keep the empire wired, let alone lit so well in this dark abyss, not to mention keeping their air quality up to standard. Filtering that mess must take up most of their time.

So he did some sweeps with his scanners, nearly crowing when he discovered their source: energon. Slag, that had to be one of the greatest coincidences ever. He could see it running through lines in the buildings, in huge stores underground. All they would have to do is somehow transport it away, and they would be set for _vorns_.

Of all of the energy sources. They could be into oils, dilithium crystals, time-rift energy: but _no_. They used _energon_. Volatile, purplish-pink, glowing energon that was the food source and very blood of the Cybertronian race. Hmm... Now that coincidence didn't feel so good. But the squishies were harmless as far as he saw. They had the remnants of a spaceship; probably what they used to get here. But no major weapons, no huge defense systems.

That was weird. And fortuitous.

He flipped again, transforming back into his alt, as he felt his trine awaken from the sleep. He hovered in his bidpedal over the sub, grinning at them below him as they lurched out of the ship to slowly, sleepily, ascend into the air. "Come'on, losers, I want to play."

Skywarp rubbed at his optics to try to warm them up out of disuse, and Thundercracker took on a dark smirk. "You're in an awfully good mood for having woken out of a drugged nap." The blue seeker stretched his arms above his head, delighting in the small popping noises his joints made.

But the red seek's face grew dark for a flash. He _hadn't_ been able to nap blissfully. He then grinned wickedly. He swatted Skywarp over the helm and transformed, blasting off at full speed away from his trinemates. Skywarp squawked before transforming and taking off in pursuit of his taunting Air Commander. TC shook his head, chuckling and then followed behind.

The sky was filled with the chattering seekers, stretching and flying around the heads of the gawking, awe-struck Ostpusti. The colors, the grace, the sheer beauty... for many of them, it was too much and they fainted at the sight.

Megatron frowned.

Starscream had commed him with his observations, which were short and to the point. That wasn't normal for the seeker, as any statement the SIC made was also an opportunity for him to berate the leader of the Decepticons for poor leadership. Perhaps this was the sign that his plan had worked. Still the energon was an interesting surprise, and he put Soundwave in charge of finding what grade, and exactly how much they could take before it became cumbersome on their return trip.

For his part, he had taken Starscream's observations and suggestions rather willingly. He had no reason to distrust his second right now, since the threat of the return trip was very real. They hadn't discussed it, and secretly Megatron knew he would keep the seeker awake. But he let Starscream hope.

Soundwave commed Megatron that their time was growing short: the Autobots were not a long distance off and they were rapidly approaching the settlement. He suggested that they move onto phase two of the plan, since the seekers were in place and they had already started to make plans to pillage the energon.

He turned to the leader who was explaining some element of their culture to him. He smiled wanly: this was getting to be very old. How did the Autobots remain sincere for so long when dealing with fleshlings? Granted, the humans were a different race, but it mattered not to the annoyed gunformer.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Jen'an," he said, hoping to Primus he got that name right. At least, for now. "I've just received news that the Autobots are closing in. We intend to defend you as our allies... friends." The last word poured sickly sweet out of his lip components. "But we will leave the seekers here-" and he nearly laughed at the sheer happiness in the leader's eyes "-so that they can defend you if the Autobots get past us."

"Oh, Megatron. Whe cannhot thank you enough. Surely there is sohmething we could dho to repay this kindness?"

The gunformer wondered if he meant "saving" them or leaving the seekers behind. Doubtless, this would do wonders for the air squadron's ego. "We require energy, and we couldn't help but notice that your cities thrive off of energon."

Jen'an looked suddenly crestfallen. "The lifeblood of Primus has sustained us fhor so lhong; unfortunately we cannhot part with the amount you dhesire."

Megatron's head snapped. "I'm sorry... what? What did you just say?"

"The lifeblood of Primus-"

"_Megatron: We need to leave immediately,_" came a droll voice over Megatron's comm. This was an interesting development though... This random, quiet species knew of Primus? It was like finding out your parents had other children.

"I will be back, Jen'an. We must defend you. But when I come back... I would love to hear more about this Primus."

"Of course, Megatron," was the reply. The spindly organic sashayed away. Megatron lightly hoped the creature would survive their onslaught that way he could grill him for more information. In fact, grilling the organics suddenly made him very happy indeed.

He called his grounders back to the sub, telling them they had Autobots to defeat and honor to defend. They all laughed darkly at the joke, casting one final look at the leering seekers above them as they left the exposed waters and sunk down to play some cat and mouse with the approaching Autobot submarine.

Starscream watched them go and then quickly landed, telling his trinemates he was simply in need of fueling, when in reality, he was coming up with some insurance.

* * *

They quietly approached the bleeping contact that held their eternal foes. They quickly fired a torpedo to impede their forward progress, but whoever was at the helm on the Autobots was skilled at dodging, at least. Megatron growled, more in annoyance than any actual frustration for not hitting the 'bots on the first shot.

"Full left rudder, then all ahead full," Megatron barked, holding onto a pipe above him as the whole sub turned right. Motormaster gave repeated his order with a confused expression on his faceplate. They were turning away from the Autobot sub rather than pursuing.

"Soundwave?"

"Megatron: Autobots are turning into our wake." Soundwave held his servos up to his audios to keep any other sounds from interrupting the screws he could hear coming from the enemy sub. By turning into their wake, the Autobots were right on their aft... literally and figuratively.

"Hmm, the Autobots seems to have forgotten about Decepticon ships. Every angle can fire. Fire aft torpedoes!"

"Aye sir, fire at will!" Motormaster cried into the comm. They heard a shuttering as the sub launched its payload of two torpedoes heading straight for the helm of the Autobot ship.

They all held their intakes for a moment, and some dimly thought that blowing up the Autobots so close would probably take their sub with them. But of course, they followed the tyrant blindly.

After ten seconds of pregnant silence, Megatron snarled. "Soundwave, did we miss? At this range?"

"Negative: Torpedoes fired and hit target." He titled his head, listening with his advance audios into the groaning ocean around them. "Amendment. Torpedoes hit enemy sub, but did not detonate. Safeties on torpedoes prevented the explosion."

"WHAT?" Megatron growled. He frowned and shook his head; he'd kill someone later for that oversight. "Fine. We'll get farther away then. Left full rudder, 90° and keep pinging the contact to be accurate about their heading."

"Aye sir. Left..." Motormaster continued.

Soundwave had heard cries echo through the water from the enemy submarine when they had fired the torpedoes. He had been about to relay the sound to Megatron, but then he heard jubilant cries for joy covering it up when the torpedoes failed to explode. He decided to keep his recordings to himself. He caught Megatron's optic, and the tyrant nodded, indicating that the third stage of their operation should be put into effect.

Soundwave pushed a button on the console, firing an underwater flare from their starboard that detonated near the bubble of the Ostpusti. It exploded like a firework with a cascade of color, the most prominent being yellow.

* * *

Starscream subspaced something as Skywarp found him in an Ostpusti landfill. "What the slag were you doing, 'Screamer?"

"None of your business afthead." Starscream stood and brushed off some refuse that stuck to his frame. Skywarp forgot about the curious behavior of his trinemate and grinned wickedly.

"Come'ere, I think you should come see this."

Starscream glared but transformed and followed the black and purple seeker to a field just outside the main city. There, Ostpusti were cleaning and waxing some seekers as they trilled in rhyme about the beauty of their flying.

"What is this?" Starscream said, derision obvious in his voice.

"Ah-Air Commander!" came a moan of pleasure. Starscream's eyes went wide, but then he smirked. There was a bright green seeker being waxed... in a rather interesting position.

"Can we keep them?" Skywarp said in a whisper. Starscream laughed. It appeared the Ostpusti knew how to reward beauty.

There were a few whispers from the spindly organics at the red seeker's arrival, and now his arrogant gaze trained on them. He was about to start to angrily yell at them, but Thundercracker in a bright new sheen of wax put a servo on his shoulder, preempting his tirade. "They are enthralled by you, Starscream," his voice rumbled. A few Ostpusti fell over faint from the gorgeous voice. A dozen painters furiously tried to capture the scene, but many of them too were passing out from sensory overload.

"Let them clean you," Skywarp purred in his trinemate's audio. Again Starscream chuckled and then relented, laying down as the eager organic hands trailed over his chassis.

It was then that Thundercracker tilted his helm in confusion. "When did you get those scratches?" TC asked, pointing to the lack of paint on Starscream's servos. The red seeker's optics blazed and he was about to try and cover the offending marks when an organic found a rather _sensitive_ joint. He relaxed, purring at the pleasure.

Now Skywarp leaned down to investigate. "He has scratches everywhere," he said lowly. "He didn't get those while he was asleep, did he?"

"No," TC replied. He ran a scan over his trine leader, and then nearly gasped in shock. He was about to demand an explanation for the sorry estate of Starscream's fragged processor, but he noticed that said seeker had drifted into a recharge. The blue seeker ran through the possibilities in his mind, and only one really resounded as true. He sighed at the napping one as the Ostpusti cooed over him. Maybe his trine leader actually had things under control.

Doubtful, but it was worth hoping.

* * *

Starscream woke, still feeling the chittering Ostpusti still surrounding him. They were still annoying, but they _did_ know how to make him look good. He preened under their rapturous gazes, and he almost felt like the carnage they were about to rain on them might be a waste.

Almost.

He stood and walked over to a reclining Dirge who had been given some very, very high quality energon and was obviously enjoying its after affect. "Ah, the sleeping Prince of Vos awakes. Can you hear the turbobirds singing? Little bitmice coming to make you a dress?"

Starscream kicked his relaxing subordinate in the chassis, gaining a yelp for his efforts. "You should know better than to mock me in such a precarious position, conehead."

Dirge puffed air out of his intakes as he righted himself. He then tilted his head in agreeance. "You've got me there, sir. I always was a dumb slagger."

Starscream gave the drunken conehead an incredulous look, then he jumped into the air amidst oohs and awes from the gathered organics. He shot off into the sky to find TC and Skywarp showing off their new wax and giving an impromptu performance as they weaved through each other's exhaust trails.

When TC saw his trinemate approach, he rolled out of formation and transformed into his bipedal mode. He hovered over to the red and white seeker who looked so much better now that he had taken a small recharge. "You okay?" the blue one said, a tinge concerned.

Starscream scowled. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" he growled, folding his arms over his chassis.

"TC and I saw the scratches and we assumed..." Skywarp said, transforming next to his blue trinemate.

Starscream's optics blazed in anger. "Well. You assumed wrong," he spat. Despite himself, he shivered, remembering how exactly his paint had come off. Unfortunately, his wingmates interpreted that as a sign he needed comforting, and before he could squawk a protest, they had both wound their servos around his wings and his waist in an intimate embrace.

Distantly, they heard the Ostpusti below cry from the sheer beauty.

Starscream had struggled, halfheartedly, since his frame remembered all too well the comforting of the TIC and gunformer as such embarrassing and needy displays. But once he felt their sparks thrum with synchronization of his own, he relaxed into their grip. _This_ is what he had been seeking in the sub. The feeling of safety, of acceptance, of concern; for nothing other than a bond that no grounder could attempt to recreate. He sighed, glad that for all of his conditioning, he still had this.

The sky was suddenly illuminated by the bright yellow light of a silent explosion, wavy and distant in the water. Again, the green organics sighed at the beauty. The reclining seekers frowned. The Ostpusti's adoration was cute in the beginning, but it had really become annoying. Still, the yellow explosion heralded phase three of the plan. Starscream smiled wickedly in the fading light as his trinemates pulled back from their Air Commander. Guess he was more or less back to normal.

The remaining seekers jumped into the air, smiling down on the gaping Ostpusti as they ascended into the dark sky above them.

* * *

Soundwave grabbed hold of a pipe as they were rocked from a torpedo explosion that had come far too close. He quickly swept through his mind, making sure all of his cassettes were all right after that bit. He silently knew that Rumble was of course, fine, since he had been asleep in his chassis since he had discovered that the mini-cassette had been a little too willing with the aggressive seeker. Punishment was due.

At the thought of the seeker, his servos twitched. It was strange to him to not have the whimpering second waiting for him on Megatron's berth. The thoughts that had cried out to him, begging for mercy were absent from the deck, and the telepath couldn't help but feel that he had grown accustomed to them. Which might be close to missing them, for him, anyway.

The ship blanched again as another torpedo exploded near their sail, permanently offlining the periscope. That was not a necessary part of the massive submarine since they had so many other sensors to fill in for the gaps, and if they got to periscope depth, doubtless they would hit ice, making it rather unnecessary anyway. Still, it was a little too close for comfort.

They all glared at the Stunticon on the helm, and he crumbled under the gaze trying desperately to avoid the rapidly approaching ship who continued to barrage them with their arsenal. "We take much more, our ballast will be shot," Motormaster growled.

"You've made us more than aware of our predicament, fool. Now shut up and fire at the Autobots."

"Observation: the Autobot's ship is more maneuverable because they have less mechs on board."

Megatron's optics gleamed. "So you suggest we jettison some of the dead weight?" he replied, glaring pointedly at the failing Stunticon helmsman.

"Negative, though also a thoughtful option," Soundwave added as his visor gleamed. "Suggestion: Allow Autobots into empire."

"But the Ostpusti- Ah. Clever, Soundwave. Are we sure our seeker brethren will be ready for them?"

"Prediction: 85% surety of desirable outcome."

"Good enough for me. Left full rudder. Let's see if they take the bait."

* * *

Starscream impatiently waited for the second explosion that would signal them to start attacking the Ostpusti, but no second piece came. He saw some slight dread creep upon his subordinates' faceplates: Were they now stuck down here in the fake sky with the creepily annoying green organics?

He couldn't stop the thought from firing across his own processor. It seemed almost part of their programming to have such thoughts when they had no access to the skies and space. Maybe it really was a glitch.

But when they saw a submarine surface with a brazen Autobot symbol on it, he understood why Megatron had failed to signal them. Of _course_. Two birds, one set of rambunctiously itchy seekers ready to level the entire empire.

So when the Autobots, including Prime, Hound, Bumblebee, Prowl, Ironhide, Jazz, and a few others got out, they were very surprised to see nearly the entire Decepticon Air Force that had been sent to Earth, haughtily glaring down at them from their hovering perches.

"Primus..." said a shocked Jazz. The twin Lamborghinis seemed to be quickly doing some mental calculations on how many jet judo maneuvers would take down all the pairs of wings they saw. When it appeared beyond their ability, they seemed shaken.

Then they noticed the snarling Ostpusti, beam rifles and plasma cannons aimed right at them. "You shan't hurt the beauty!" some of them cried. Starscream looked amused at their display, and twiched his wings when he saw the Autobots.

"Welcome, Optimus. It seems your late arrival cost you," he sneered.

The leader of the Autobots looked around, warily. "You _do_ realize they are going to just kill you," he deadpanned. The spindly organics just growled in response.

"See, Autobots? Your worthless lies mean nothing here," Starscream said leaning forward in the air as if he were leering.

Prowl couldn't help himself. "Megatron brought _seekers_ down here? That is the most illogical thing I can think of-"

"And it seems that's why your gonna lose today, slagger!" Skywarp cackled. The Autobots suddenly looked very wan; they had not brought a single flier with them since their claustrophobia was legendary. Still, Optimus looked ready for the fight, and got into a ready position.

"Any time you threaten innocent life, we will be there to stop you!" the truck-alt bellowed.

A green explosion in the water beyond the bubble illuminated the backs of the seekers as their grins turned to evil smirks. They all fired up their weapons, knowing that it was time to do some pest control.

They all dove in different directions, like a flurry of swarming insects. They fired at buildings, stomped on organics, took a flying tackle at an Autobot. Optimus quickly realized they were outnumbered since the seekers were completely in their element in the sky, and, unbelieveably, the green organics were fighting _for_ the seekers rather than against them.

Even as they were squashed to death, they cried the praises of the winged ones. If it weren't so sad, it might be comical.

Starscream took aim at an Ostpusti and he noted that about a dozen more jumped in front of the shot, _wanting_ to die by his hand. He blinked in surprise until he heard them chanting with their last breaths, "Beautiful death..." Primus. How did these things not kill each other off ages ago?

Skywarp frowned. "This isn't fun, they _like_ getting slagged."

"Yeah it's really weird," said Thrust. "But might as well give them what they want!" he laughed hysterically as a bunch of them threw themselves under his thruster, dying in throes of happiness.

Optimus called a hasty retreat back to the sub as they attempted to hold the circling seekers from stopping them. They climbed back into the sub and quickly descended into the ocean, deciding to leave the organics to their chosen fate.

Starscream called for a halt to the onslaught. He pulled out a red flare and fired it into the sky where it exploded with a barrage of red sparkling pieces. Hopefully that indicated to Megatron that they had secured the bubble empire and that they were safe to return. He silently prayed to Primus that Megatron didn't abandon them to pursue the withdrawing Autobots since doing so would probably have backfired.

Meanwhile, a spindly leader crawled into the underground catacombs that held the energon for their home, and silently waited for the inevitable.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Long wait... . Thanks for sticking with it. One more after this, then the epilogue. :D I have no excuses! But I have the ending written so don't attack me. It'll be up soon.

* * *

Megatron and his troops emerged from the sub to see the grinning faceplates of the preening seekers. The ground was covered in the blood of the organics, as well as their crushed corpses that had tasted the seeker's wrath earlier. But they were a little taken aback by the amount of them still alive.

Starscream landed gracefully next to his leader, his thrusters purring softly until they cut out. "Their reaction to our attack did not go as expected..." Starscream said, amused. "But they will be of no threat to us."

Megatron looked at the still enthralled beings as they lovingly drank in the frames of the Seekers. It was going to take weeks of berating to get rid of the Seekers' developing god-complex.

"...Satisfactory, then." The gunformer could not help but notice the red and white Seeker as he beamed under the meager praise. The submarine trip seemed to have done wonders for his efficiency, and Megatron's willingness to reward.

Still, the SIC stood a noticeable distance away, and even as Megatron began to walk to inspect their conquered world, the Seeker gave him a wide berth. Megatron felt his servos itch to hold the seeker close, but it was obvious the Seeker did not need him. At the moment. Obviously his conditioning would need to be more intense to make it last.

"Where is their leader?" He quipped, walking quickly on the dock for shore. Starscream picked up the pace to fall in behind him: another confusing consideration that Megatron felt might have been mere posturing on the Seeker's part. But what if it was sincere?

"He has holed himself up in the catacombs. We were awaiting your arrival so that you could interrogate him yourself."

More consideration. Interesting.

"We will go down there together. Your presence will doubtless have an effect on him that might make him more willing to explain his abundance of energon himself."

Starscream felt his intakes lurch. True, he had waited to allow the warlord a glory in exploring the catacombs, but the truth was it was a decidedly cramped space. He wasn't ready for such confinement; not after his experience before. Still... he felt confident that he could handle it. Especially with his plan waiting for him.

"Starscream, is that a problem?"

"No, Megatron. I will follow you down."

Megatron frowned a little, half expecting some protest. But he reminded himself, this _is_ what you wanted, right? An obedient second. Yet, he could not help but feel cheated.

They went through the entrance that glowed softly of the pink liquid that ran through clear pipes. It was a sickly light that muted Starscream's paint but practically made Megatron shine with unholy vibrance. He looked over his shoulder at his second who had noticed the small space but was taking it relatively well. Perhaps it was his proximity that kept the seeker calm?

They went around a bend and found the organic leader with his back against the wall, slumped on the ground. He was bleeding at an alarming rate, but both Decepticons regarded him with a sneer.

"I'm afraid I have a small confession to make," Megatron said to the green Europan, eliciting a small chuckle from Starscream.

"I knehw your intentions frohm the stahrt, Megatron..." The organic's breathing was labored and slow.

"Curious species you are then, with no self-preservation," Megatron observed, bending down to crouch in front of the organic. He narrowed his optics. "Still, you made a comment earlier that has sustained my interest, and could sustain your life should you choose to elaborate." Starscream couldn't help but look at his leader with a confused expression on his faceplates.

"You whant to knohw about Primus."

"How is it you know of Primus?" Starscream blurted out, as his arms folded across his chest.

The leader took a long breath. "Primus gave us everything we have... ouhr technology, ouhr freedom, ouhr world. For many a generation, we craved more, and Primus saw fit to give it to us.

"But then his children came to steal from us. So he allowed his brother Unicron to destroy them."

Megatron couldn't help but give a furtive look to his second. It was no mistake. Their mythology was oddly present on this planet, and it couldn't be coincidence. They had definitely seen Cybertronians before.

"Destroy them?" Starscream asked, bending down to crouch beside Megatron. His wingtip glanced off the gunformer's back, and Megatron repressed a smile despite himself. "I don't quite understand."

"Unicron, as the God of chaos and death, deactivated your ancestors and used their bodies as a protective shell around our civilization..."

There was a second before recognition. "The debris..." Starscream said quietly.

"And... the energon," Megatron finished. Starscream felt his tanks turn as if he was going to purge.

"Ah yes... the very lifeblood of your bodies has... sustained us."

Starscream began to back up slowly. "And most of the mechs who died..." Megatron said.

"Were seekers. Hence our adoration."

Starscream's vents began to cycle rapidly. "So we are enclosed on this planet, with the bodies of _seekers_?" he screeched. Suddenly even the fake sky had lost its sweetness; he felt as if he were back on the sub with the walls closing in.

"It can't be true," Megatron said, standing up, his face becoming dark.

"This energon... is the blood..." Starscream looked horrified.

"_Starscream_, calm down," Megatron snapped, glaring over his shoulder. The seeker was shivering like a car-alt out of gear.

"You cahn takhe the energon, Megatron... we glahdly give it to you..." the organic coughed and sighed when he spit up blood.

Megatron snarled and powered up his cannon. "We're not accepting it as a gift you moronic squish bag, we're taking it as spoils! Die, you fragger." He fired a shot and smirked at the black mark on the floor that used to be the dying leader.

"Megatron... I can't do it. I can't go back up awake."

Megatron turned and looked at the seeker thoughtfully. "Even if I'm with you?" he said it in a flat voice.

Starscream felt his digits twitch with need. The catacombs were getting cramped. "I... it will be different. I'll know what we're maneuvering around." Starscream attempted to steady himself on his pedes, but when his servo leaned on a pipe of coursing energon, he pulled back as if burned.

"Starscream..." Megatron purred, going to his second slowly, as if he had a wounded organic he was trying to soothe. Starscream regarded the tyrant with crazed, distrustful eyes.

"Why would it matter if you know what they are? Even what the energon used to be. We're Decepticons, Starscream, and we can use whatever we find to crush our enemies into the dust." He reached out a servo for the seeker to take.

Starscream looked at the hand and shivered. He shuttered his optics and forced himself to relax. "No. I'm... fine. I will attempt to fulfill your wishes, Megatron."

Megatron let his servo hang in the air for a moment longer before he closed it into a fist. He was irritated by the seeker's brush off. But, still, Starscream was obedient. Setting his jaw, he began to stalk out of the catacombs, not waiting for the seeker to follow.

Starscream shivered one more time, then followed the tyrant out. Despite everything, a small smile tugged at his lip components.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: As promised. After this, the epilogue. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Things progressed rather smoothly. The Decepticons were able to route all the energon pipes into their ship's tanks, and take not only enough to refill them once, but tenfold. They had run out of cubes as storage in subspace, and there was _still_ tons left.

Despite the urgings of his commanders, Megatron explained quite stubbornly that they would not be returning to the planet to get more. He planned to get what they could, then destroy the civilization in their wake lest their difficult rivals in the Autobots come back to mine the remainder. There were grumblings of waste, but the thrum of a cannon deftly put them to rest.

Starscream was renewing his role of the aloof, can't be bothered SIC. At least that is what everyone else saw. Of course, Megatron and Soundwave did not drag him back from the skies to make him help with the loading, so the other Decepticons still knew something was off.

Skywarp and Thundercracker had attempted to get him to stop flying around. He was doing the equivalent to pacing in the skies; he flew in a giant arc around the outside of the bubble, faster then slower, then faster again. It was irritating to the seekers, and obnoxious to the grounders, but again, they kept their gripes among themselves. Rumors were rampant of the sex love triangle going on between the tyrant, the telepath and the seeker kept them jeering and winking between each other, but never within earshot of Megatron. And those that couldn't change their thoughts fast enough found themselves suddenly assigned to space-barnacle scraping duty when Soundwave appeared.

Rumble glumly scraped away at the barnacles, choosing not to talk to anyone.

It was finally time to set sail for home, and the grounders had begun to pile into their cabins below deck. There were some good-natured jibes at the seekers about getting their beauty rest because geez, they really needed _something_ to improve their ugly plates. They got some good-natured pushes into the water around the sub for their trouble.

It was when the seekers began to file into the sub that the red seeker landed. He pointedly avoided looking at Megatron and Soundwave as he followed his trinemates in.

Megatron was talking about last minute preparations with Soundwave, when he couldn't help but notice his TIC's lack of response. "I see you're distracted."

Soundwave's helm snapped from looking at Starscream to looking back to the gunformer. "Reply: My sincerest apologizes, Megatron."

"To be honest, I'm just as distracted as you are. I'm... concerned about how this trip will fare on the glitch that is my second in command." He could not help but color his last sentence with a touch of... fondness?

Impossible.

"Suggestion: Perhaps we let him sleep this time."

"No." Firm, and perhaps too quick.

"No, we still need him to get through the debris. I'd rather have just one seeker who needs a week of defragging than two. We will use him again."

Soundwave said nothing and followed his commander into the sub.

* * *

"But what if something happens _this_ time?" Skywarp whined as he sat on the berth.

Thundercracker rolled his optics and got next to him on his own berth. "Nothing's going to happen, you afthead, just relax."

Starscream sat on his berth but did not lie down. His faceplate was blank.

"Starscream, tell him-"

"Nothing's going to happen to you, Skywarp," Starscream said tiredly. Hook walked up at started to sedate Skywarp. The black and violet seeker yawned and then drifted off to sleep.

Starscream was next in line, but he still did not lie down. Hook gave him a significant look, but took the syringe and walked over to Thundercracker. TC looked confused and tried to protest, but he slipped into recharge before his vocalizer could form the words.

"Should I even waste some of it on you?"

"It's not necessary." Starscream hopped off the berth and walked towards the door.

"Starscream."

The seeker paused by the door, without turning around.

"I know what you're trying to do. It's not going to work. You're better off just submitting to them-"

"Ah, Hook. That is the difference between you and I. I know what I want have the courage to get it." He stalked off towards the control room.

Hook angrily threw the syringe against the door frame, folding his arms across his chest. "No," he said to a room of sleeping seekers. "You just have the idiocy to try."

* * *

The Decepticons got on their way fast enough. They had been sure to plant charges around the fading city they had decimated, and the few organics that lived did not resist. As the ship/sub began to sink into the water, the light seemed to go out from the world comepletely.

The Decepticons pushed forward. They now had enough energon to fuel their campaign against the Autobots for years, and maybe even enough to turn Earth into an energon-filled technorganic planet. The possibilities were endless.

Megatron glowered from the captain's chair. He had everything save Prime's head as a pede-stool. It should be only a matter of time. And yet.

"All ahead full. Engine power at maximum to begin the ascent."

"All ahead full aye."

Megatron's mouth twitched. They were _robots_. There was no need to repeat orders aloud.

"Soundwave," Megatron said quietly to his third beside him. "Where is the seeker?"

With a small flash of the visor, the telepath replied. "Answer: He is in your quarters."

"Excellent. You're in charge now." Megatron left the bridge in a haste. Soundwave almost called him back because there was something strange about the seeker's mind. Still, he hesitated.

* * *

"Well, well. The seeker is seeking comfort?" Megatron said, once his door had closed. He could not help the amusement, even glee in his optic as he drank in the lines of the SIC on his berth.

Starscream grimaced a smile. "How eloquent, Mighty Megatron. You missed your calling as a poet-bot."

Megatron chuckled and poured some high grade for himself. He took a sip and then regarded the seeker. "You know, overall, this might have been our most successful venture yet. And I can only think of one thing that has changed during this mission over all others."

Starscream narrowed his optics. "Really?" he replied in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Pray do tell, Megatron."

"Your obedience, of course. Did you really not notice that Soundwave and I have conditioned you for our touch?" He smiled wickedly into his cube while trying to gauge Starscream's reaction.

Starscream feigned shock. "How dare you! I am not some pet to be tamed-"

"Ah but you are. A pet," Megatron said, rather delighted with himself. His servo steadied himself against the table as the sub picked up speed and the familiar creaking returned. He smiled and looked to the seeker.

Yet the seeker seemed fine.

Megatron put the cube down warily. "You seem-"

"Not claustrophobic? Ah, no, I suppose not. I guess your _conditioning_ perhaps desensitized me to the fear."

Megatron growled. "_What did you do_?" He silently commed for Soundwave.

"Ha, Megatron, _look_ at yourself. You're face is priceless! It's like someone stole your favorite toy as a sparkling and you're still Pit-pent on getting it back." Starscream laughed even harder.

Soundwave appeared just as Megatron went to throttle his second against the wall. Starscream was still laughing, though coughing a little with the servo wrapped around his throat.

"You seem rather _perturbed_ Megatron-"

"Shut _up_!" Megatron bellowed, pulling Starscream's head back only to rock it forward to hit the wall with greater force. The gunformer's sneered when he saw the dazed look in the seeker's optics.

"Observation: Starscream is not afraid of the enclosed space."

"No _slag_, you imbecilic, monotonous cur! What the Pit happened?"

Starscream leered from up against the wall. "What's wrong Megatron? You're getting so hot under the neck-plates."

"You are supposed to be obedient! I-we _fixed_ you!"

The last statement hit Starscream harder than any punch Megatron had ever thrown. _Fixed me_? There was a wash of hurt and anger that flashed across his faceplates. Fixed? Apparently, there was something wrong with him, at least according to Megatron. What upset him even more than the words themselves was the feelings he was having.

He shouldn't care... but he did. All this time he thought Megatron was vicious, selfish tyrant who didn't give Starscream the time of day because he was jealous. Starscream was talented, intelligent, beautiful and above all else, _right_ most of the time. In fact some of the beatings only proved his ego right, and he preened afterward as if Megatron had flattered him wildly.

But no... it was because something was _wrong _with him?

Megatron looked slightly embarrassed. He had not meant to say it that way, not really. He just wanted his work to be fruitful. He had worked so hard to get Starscream to be obedient; why couldn't he just be like he was before the Europans?

Soundwave had watched all this in mute fascination. Sometimes, even for a such a gifted telepath, it was really hard to sort through all the thoughts and all the ideas of those around him. His one motivation though was, as it was always, Megatron's will accomplished. So he set to let it be done.

"Observation: Starscream has blocked flight sensors so as to not have claustrophobic subroutines initiate."

Starscream snapped out of his thoughts and glowered. "Therefore, I'm not reliant on you two for anything." He said this as he folded his arms over his chassis. "But, I would like to point out- you two need _me_ as much as I needed you."

Megatron frowned. This was not exactly what he wanted to hear. Especially because as much as he could vehemently deny it, it was partly true.

Soundwave walked over to Starscream and grabbed the back of his neck. "Query: Did you really think you could hide the device from my sensors?" His servo tightened around a small chip that stuck out behind Starscream's neck.

"On the contrary. I wanted to prove a point. If you deactivate the block, you're only proving me right. You _need _me."

Megatron was about to retort when there was a dull groan coming from metal around the ship. There was a shuddering quake that ripped from one end of the submarine to the other, causing some pressure to burst pipes throughout the long, dimly lit hallways. One even sprung in Megatron's quarters.

When the spasm occurred, Soundwave's servo had been wrapped around Starscream's block on his neck. Despite the telepath's extreme discipline of his mind and frame, unfortunately Starscream's quickly made device crushed under the TIC's grip.

Several things happened at once.

Briney, ice-cold water burst from a pipe and poured into the quarters. Starscream screeched and went completely mad in a matter of milli-kliks; he barreled into Soundwave and tried to get to the door, not having the presence of mind to open it using the console but rather trying to break through it with his shoulder. Megatron began bellowing angry epithets into the comm. Soundwave was quickly flashing through structural integrity in his mind.

Megatron and Soundwave came to the realization almost at the same time: The charges they had left on the bubble civilization had detonated early. "Soundwave, report damages."

Soundwave began to gather himself up and had to practically shout over the raving seeker by the door. "Stuctural integrity at 70% and dropping. Hull breeches throughout lower decks. Aft sensors non-responsive; possible complete rupture."

Megatron steadied himself against the wall using a servo as another ripple came through the ship. "That felt like we hit something."

"Correct; blast from detonation catapulted us several miles towards surface. We are now hitting the-"

"OH FRAKKING PRIMUS!" Starscream wailed, horrified and utterly crazed with fear.

"Slag, Soundwave, we have to get him out there! How should we...?"

Soundwave gave a significant look to his leader. He then grabbed the seeker by his flailing arms and turned him towards Megatron.

The seeker was resisting the hold, but was noticeably more calm in the telepath's arms. "Starscream: we _do_ need you," he said, looking at Megatron, trying to prompt him.

Megatron frowned and muttered, "Yes, yes, we need you."

Starscream sobbed a little. "No you don't, not if I'm broken-"

"STARSCREAM, SHUT the slag up, you arrogant glitchmouse." The seeker stopped and stared at the gunformer with wide optics. Megatron couldn't help but freeze this moment: the seeker with the epitome of vulnerability on his face staring wide. Water kept bursting forth and was nearly at their ankles. "Yes," he said softer. "We need you. Not just to help us get out of this mess. We need you Starscream."

Starscream pulled back into Soundwave's hold, relaxing with a slightly awed look on his faceplate. After so much searching... Had he finally gotten what his spark wanted? Quietly he said, "If... if you are there, I can get us out."

Megatron nodded and took the seeker's servo. "Let's go then."


End file.
